Clomid femara effectiveness
Horribly sick on Letrozole
2024.05.16 21:52 caguz Horribly sick on Letrozole
First day on 5 mg of Letrozole was uneventful. I felt a mild headache and some bloating in the pelvic area, similar to what I feel during ovulation.
Second day on Letrozole gave me headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomitting, diarrhea, and anxiety. It felt like the equivalent in sickness to having the worst flu of my life (but with different symptoms). I had to take sick leave from work cause I couldn’t function.
My REI told me to stop Letrozole, but report back in a few days for bloodwork and monitoring. Hopefully I can still proceed with the IUI as planned. I ovulate on my own, and don’t necessarily care for producing more than one mature egg at a time. I don’t expect the IUI to work, since I have unexplained infertility and according to my REI, IVF is the best option for unexplained infertility. I need to do two IUIs for insurance purposes before IVF is covered.
The only issue fertility testing found was a lower AMH/follicle count for my age (just turned 33). So I technically have DOR, but my AMH is still 1.1 and my last ultrasound showed 16 eggs.
Experiencing such bad symptoms on Letrozole makes me more than a little nervous for the side effects of the medication I’ll have to take for IVF. This whole experience has me thinking that maybe I’d be better off continuing to try without intervention. My husband and I weren’t super keen on having children to begin with, but my struggles with fertility for the last 8 months made me yearn for a child. Now I have my reservations again. I still do want a child, of that I’m certain, but I’m feeling more willing to just wait and let it “happen when it happens” if it does at all, instead of rushing to make it happen. My husband feels the same.
Is there anyone who had a bad experience with Letrozole/clomid and did ok with IVF meds?
submitted by caguz to TryingForABaby [link] [comments]
Second day on Letrozole gave me headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomitting, diarrhea, and anxiety. It felt like the equivalent in sickness to having the worst flu of my life (but with different symptoms). I had to take sick leave from work cause I couldn’t function.
My REI told me to stop Letrozole, but report back in a few days for bloodwork and monitoring. Hopefully I can still proceed with the IUI as planned. I ovulate on my own, and don’t necessarily care for producing more than one mature egg at a time. I don’t expect the IUI to work, since I have unexplained infertility and according to my REI, IVF is the best option for unexplained infertility. I need to do two IUIs for insurance purposes before IVF is covered.
The only issue fertility testing found was a lower AMH/follicle count for my age (just turned 33). So I technically have DOR, but my AMH is still 1.1 and my last ultrasound showed 16 eggs.
Experiencing such bad symptoms on Letrozole makes me more than a little nervous for the side effects of the medication I’ll have to take for IVF. This whole experience has me thinking that maybe I’d be better off continuing to try without intervention. My husband and I weren’t super keen on having children to begin with, but my struggles with fertility for the last 8 months made me yearn for a child. Now I have my reservations again. I still do want a child, of that I’m certain, but I’m feeling more willing to just wait and let it “happen when it happens” if it does at all, instead of rushing to make it happen. My husband feels the same.
Is there anyone who had a bad experience with Letrozole/clomid and did ok with IVF meds?
2024.05.16 21:26 AspieComrade Our nice doctor retired, first meeting with the replacement doctor and my wife is told that she’ll be refused IVF if she continues to be upset regarding her infertility
Had to rant somewhere with people that would understand
We had a lovely female doctor who treated the matter with sensitivity and thoroughness, and when we heard she’d retired and been replaced with a male doctor my wife and I immediately knew we were in for trouble as 100% of the male doctors we’ve seen in our fertility journey have been pompous, insensitive and completely unknowledgeable in their field with a total inability to listen to any questions or concerns (my personal ‘favourite’ being when we voiced concern of (spoiler tagged for trigger warning) a higher chance of miscarriage if we conceived by chance before knowing what had been causing her lifelong issues and he responded with “well half of pregnancies end up in miscarriage anyway so…” shrug)
Having never had regular cycles in her life and other concerns, it’s taken a huge toll on my wife’s mental health and she’s had to seek mental health support to cope with the stress and anxiety and everything else surrounding it.
Having had a difficult day already with anxiety surrounding this upcoming appointment with the new doctor and with a friend sending her a picture of his baby because he forgot that it’s upsetting to her (🙄), she cried during the appointment when she was told that the first round of clomid had no effect and that she was to try again on the same dose and that they’d keep repeating the process for six months before looking at IVF. Instead of trying to comfort his crying patient, he responds to this by saying that if she’s not sorted her emotions out by that point then he’s going to personally see to it that IVF treatment is refused and that her fertility treatment is stopped there. Even the (female) nurse seemed taken aback at that comment but didn’t say anything.
So now we’re at a point where she can no longer risk seeking mental health support, lest this doctor use those appointments as receipts to refuse treatment. I’m curious if anyone else has gone through/ is going through anything similar on their journey?
submitted by AspieComrade to InfertilitySucks [link] [comments]
We had a lovely female doctor who treated the matter with sensitivity and thoroughness, and when we heard she’d retired and been replaced with a male doctor my wife and I immediately knew we were in for trouble as 100% of the male doctors we’ve seen in our fertility journey have been pompous, insensitive and completely unknowledgeable in their field with a total inability to listen to any questions or concerns (my personal ‘favourite’ being when we voiced concern of (spoiler tagged for trigger warning) a higher chance of miscarriage if we conceived by chance before knowing what had been causing her lifelong issues and he responded with “well half of pregnancies end up in miscarriage anyway so…” shrug)
Having never had regular cycles in her life and other concerns, it’s taken a huge toll on my wife’s mental health and she’s had to seek mental health support to cope with the stress and anxiety and everything else surrounding it.
Having had a difficult day already with anxiety surrounding this upcoming appointment with the new doctor and with a friend sending her a picture of his baby because he forgot that it’s upsetting to her (🙄), she cried during the appointment when she was told that the first round of clomid had no effect and that she was to try again on the same dose and that they’d keep repeating the process for six months before looking at IVF. Instead of trying to comfort his crying patient, he responds to this by saying that if she’s not sorted her emotions out by that point then he’s going to personally see to it that IVF treatment is refused and that her fertility treatment is stopped there. Even the (female) nurse seemed taken aback at that comment but didn’t say anything.
So now we’re at a point where she can no longer risk seeking mental health support, lest this doctor use those appointments as receipts to refuse treatment. I’m curious if anyone else has gone through/ is going through anything similar on their journey?
2024.05.15 17:17 HeftyRestaurant4885 Visual Snow _ What's Worked for Me
Hi everyone, I've been lurking this subreddit for a while and it's really nice to know I'm not the only one who has this. I spent over 2 years not knowing what was happening to my vision until googling "static vision" and this subreddit came up and I was like "YES, that is exaclty what I've been experiencing". Here's a bit of background:
My visual snow started in March of 2020 when I began taking a medication called clomiphine (clomid) for an unrelated hormonal issue. Pretty immediately I started noticing visual side effects from the medicaiton, which included a blurring, and darkening effect over my entire visual field. I stopped the medication after about a week after speaking with my endocrinologist. These acute visual effects seemed to lift, but over the course of the next few days I noticed that my vision seemed generally worse and that I couldn't stop seeing eye floaters. I experienced the visual "veil" of static over my vision, an abundance of eye floaters especially when it's bright out, terrible night vision, and palinopsia. Never had aura migraines or headaches. I may be one of the lucky ones because over the past year I've seen some major improvement, I don't know if it is just due to the passage of time or what but here is what has helped me:
Etifoxine: I noticed after taking this for about a week my visual snow just seemed different, it was still there but not as noticeable. Almost as if the fuzziness effect was sort of absorbing all the floaters, I also noticed that my night vision improved. This effect was drastic as when I took a flight recently I saw way fewer floaters when looking out of the window (ususally I can see a full field of floaters while looking at the sky from a plane, or while ice skating for some reason). I actually wouldn't say there are fewer floaters, but it's as if they are "softer" and I can see through them. I still have some and plan to take another course in a few weeks.
Switching prescriptions: I accidentaly wore my old prescription glasses for a week and didn't notice. When I went back to my new glasses I felt my brain was confused and my visual field trying to adjust. Weirdly it felt like there was an improvement in the sharpness of my vision. Now I occasionally wear my old glasses for a few days and I feel like my visual snow is a little improved for a few days and might have some long term effect.
Kratom: take this one with a grain of salt as there is some controversy around kratom. I don't think anyone should take this supplement regularly as it is addictive and can cause major withdrawals. There's an entire subreddit devoted to the terrible withdrawals this opiate-like drug causes. I think it also might be bad for the liver. I'm a bit of a degenerate so I bought some to see what it was like. When I took a high dose I noticed my vision acuity was reduced similar to how it gets when I'm really tired, everything just looks a little glazed and kind of glassy. But for whatever reason when it wears off the next day my vision seems improved, and these changes seem to persist! Again, use at your discretion but this was a game changer for me.
VS relief Overlay: another user made a VS overlay that I use and it's also helped me alot while i'm working at my computer: https://github.com/belvederef/visual-snow-relief-overlay/releases/tag/v1.5.2
I don't think it does anything long term but does seem to help while I'm using my computer.
Anyway that's been my experience so far! Hope this helps some of you! and let me know if you have any questions and don't despair! I think this is something that will be solved in our lifetimes.
submitted by HeftyRestaurant4885 to visualsnow [link] [comments]
My visual snow started in March of 2020 when I began taking a medication called clomiphine (clomid) for an unrelated hormonal issue. Pretty immediately I started noticing visual side effects from the medicaiton, which included a blurring, and darkening effect over my entire visual field. I stopped the medication after about a week after speaking with my endocrinologist. These acute visual effects seemed to lift, but over the course of the next few days I noticed that my vision seemed generally worse and that I couldn't stop seeing eye floaters. I experienced the visual "veil" of static over my vision, an abundance of eye floaters especially when it's bright out, terrible night vision, and palinopsia. Never had aura migraines or headaches. I may be one of the lucky ones because over the past year I've seen some major improvement, I don't know if it is just due to the passage of time or what but here is what has helped me:
Etifoxine: I noticed after taking this for about a week my visual snow just seemed different, it was still there but not as noticeable. Almost as if the fuzziness effect was sort of absorbing all the floaters, I also noticed that my night vision improved. This effect was drastic as when I took a flight recently I saw way fewer floaters when looking out of the window (ususally I can see a full field of floaters while looking at the sky from a plane, or while ice skating for some reason). I actually wouldn't say there are fewer floaters, but it's as if they are "softer" and I can see through them. I still have some and plan to take another course in a few weeks.
Switching prescriptions: I accidentaly wore my old prescription glasses for a week and didn't notice. When I went back to my new glasses I felt my brain was confused and my visual field trying to adjust. Weirdly it felt like there was an improvement in the sharpness of my vision. Now I occasionally wear my old glasses for a few days and I feel like my visual snow is a little improved for a few days and might have some long term effect.
Kratom: take this one with a grain of salt as there is some controversy around kratom. I don't think anyone should take this supplement regularly as it is addictive and can cause major withdrawals. There's an entire subreddit devoted to the terrible withdrawals this opiate-like drug causes. I think it also might be bad for the liver. I'm a bit of a degenerate so I bought some to see what it was like. When I took a high dose I noticed my vision acuity was reduced similar to how it gets when I'm really tired, everything just looks a little glazed and kind of glassy. But for whatever reason when it wears off the next day my vision seems improved, and these changes seem to persist! Again, use at your discretion but this was a game changer for me.
VS relief Overlay: another user made a VS overlay that I use and it's also helped me alot while i'm working at my computer: https://github.com/belvederef/visual-snow-relief-overlay/releases/tag/v1.5.2
I don't think it does anything long term but does seem to help while I'm using my computer.
Anyway that's been my experience so far! Hope this helps some of you! and let me know if you have any questions and don't despair! I think this is something that will be solved in our lifetimes.
2024.05.15 11:18 modafo420 200mg weekly T + 20mg enclomid journal
Would like to start a journal on my progress since I am some what anxious to mess with my hormones. Had been on 1600 calorie diet, high on protein and enough fats, 200g/65g so this might play a bit into why I started so low but I am not too sure. Was on this diet about 3 weeks before checking testosterone and about 5 before checking the other levels. Los about 15-18 lbs and about 7-10% body fat. Lifting 5 times a week. 2hours bike cardio while playing video games and watching JJK. I am also doing 20mg daily clomid to keep my nuts working.
So 200mg test weekly with 20mg enclomid a day starting dosages.
Started enclomid at 12.5mg 4 days before testosterone injection and increased it to 20 day of first injection.
Plan on doing injections 1-2 month and then continue enclomid for 6month while titration it down to see if I can get to settle on a better level.
Test blood work taken about 3 weeks before 1st dose. Lh and FSH 1week before 1st dose.
5/14/2024 Age:32 Starting T: 252ng/Dl Starting LH: 3.8 mIU/ml [R 1.4 -18.1] Starting FSH: 2.1 mIU/ml [R 1.5 - 9.3] Starting Estradiol: 19.5 pg/mL Starting Weight: 195lbs, body fat 18-22%?
Abs Starting to show, shoulder and bicep veins. Shoulder and triceps visible and separate heads visible when flexing. Forarm veins Starting to pop out.
As an idiot I did do a cycle about 14 years ago when I was 19 I believe I used 300mg a week for 2 or 3 months? and clomid for pct for 6months? but I can't really recall exactly tbh.
Have had gyno since I was 13 but no lumps anymore mostly puffy might extra fat stored there forever. Never really gotten under 15% body fat. Would like to see if the enclomid has any effects on this. Also curious to see how my estradiol, fsh and lh levels handle both enclomid and testosterone at the same time. Planing to get levels check again in about 10-15 days to see how the markers are moving.
Hope this helps someone in or around the same position as me.
I had very bad depression and 0 motivation. I had to listed to alot of david goggins and jjk to get me through the first weeks of working out. Checked my levels out of curiosity. I also had a ankle injury sprain that did not heal for over a year and it's still bothering me from time to time so I want to see if this helps. Also have had herniated disc for about 6 years and would like to strengthen my core and muscle around vertebrae to help me keep a good posture and reduce strain on the disc. Plan on using bpc 157 as well in the future. I plan on getting off of hrt both enclomid and test becasue I might be able to settle on better levels once I am not on a caloric deficit anymore.
submitted by modafo420 to Testosterone [link] [comments]
So 200mg test weekly with 20mg enclomid a day starting dosages.
Started enclomid at 12.5mg 4 days before testosterone injection and increased it to 20 day of first injection.
Plan on doing injections 1-2 month and then continue enclomid for 6month while titration it down to see if I can get to settle on a better level.
Test blood work taken about 3 weeks before 1st dose. Lh and FSH 1week before 1st dose.
5/14/2024 Age:32 Starting T: 252ng/Dl Starting LH: 3.8 mIU/ml [R 1.4 -18.1] Starting FSH: 2.1 mIU/ml [R 1.5 - 9.3] Starting Estradiol: 19.5 pg/mL Starting Weight: 195lbs, body fat 18-22%?
Abs Starting to show, shoulder and bicep veins. Shoulder and triceps visible and separate heads visible when flexing. Forarm veins Starting to pop out.
As an idiot I did do a cycle about 14 years ago when I was 19 I believe I used 300mg a week for 2 or 3 months? and clomid for pct for 6months? but I can't really recall exactly tbh.
Have had gyno since I was 13 but no lumps anymore mostly puffy might extra fat stored there forever. Never really gotten under 15% body fat. Would like to see if the enclomid has any effects on this. Also curious to see how my estradiol, fsh and lh levels handle both enclomid and testosterone at the same time. Planing to get levels check again in about 10-15 days to see how the markers are moving.
Hope this helps someone in or around the same position as me.
I had very bad depression and 0 motivation. I had to listed to alot of david goggins and jjk to get me through the first weeks of working out. Checked my levels out of curiosity. I also had a ankle injury sprain that did not heal for over a year and it's still bothering me from time to time so I want to see if this helps. Also have had herniated disc for about 6 years and would like to strengthen my core and muscle around vertebrae to help me keep a good posture and reduce strain on the disc. Plan on using bpc 157 as well in the future. I plan on getting off of hrt both enclomid and test becasue I might be able to settle on better levels once I am not on a caloric deficit anymore.
2024.05.15 07:02 WaveSpecial3395 Clomid/Clomifene effect on Tinnitus
submitted by WaveSpecial3395 to MarksDivineComedy [link] [comments]
2024.05.15 03:24 ghostofbane Restart recommendation
So I've been on trt for about 5 years now. Few months ago felt not as responsive as much. Tried multiple different amounts and frequencies. Last few months I even added hcg. Still no improvement. Tried hcg at 250units twice a week, 500units a week, etc. Yes balls came back but still no libido and sense of well being. Even without hcg I've had great numbers. Test ranges from troughs of 600s to 1200s. E2 ranges from 20s to mid 30s. With hcg I was at 800 t and 23 e2. When I got on a few years ago I was probably just stressed with a failing marriage, overtraining, diet, etc. Don't get me wrong, I made great progress with the energy I got. Going from 170 to 195lbs and pretty lean at being 6 1. Fertility is not an issue as I've had a vasectomy and already have 4 kids. Im just looking to get my libido back, sense of well being, and not have to take cialis which I think no longer is as effective for me anymore.
Looking for recommendations Currently I'm running 50mg of test 2x a week and 500units of hcg 2x a week. Yes I've run higher before on each still nothing worth while.
Looking for recommendations My current supply consist of Plenty of test 4 unreconstituted refill of hcg 2 bottles of anastorozole And about 30 year old clomid pills.
Any suggestions on restarting with that
Thanks all. Just want to see possibly by restarting due to me possibly jumping the gun to early. Pre trt levels were in the ranges of low 300s and low 400s but also felt like shit. Again thinking about it and yes I've had some good weeks on trt but 75% was not good due to hct always climbing and other various reasons. Yes I workout 5 times a week, eat pretty clean, cardio with zone 2.
submitted by ghostofbane to trt [link] [comments]
Looking for recommendations Currently I'm running 50mg of test 2x a week and 500units of hcg 2x a week. Yes I've run higher before on each still nothing worth while.
Looking for recommendations My current supply consist of Plenty of test 4 unreconstituted refill of hcg 2 bottles of anastorozole And about 30 year old clomid pills.
Any suggestions on restarting with that
Thanks all. Just want to see possibly by restarting due to me possibly jumping the gun to early. Pre trt levels were in the ranges of low 300s and low 400s but also felt like shit. Again thinking about it and yes I've had some good weeks on trt but 75% was not good due to hct always climbing and other various reasons. Yes I workout 5 times a week, eat pretty clean, cardio with zone 2.
2024.05.14 04:48 moneyfingers33 Pct after 10 weeks of test c 250mg/week
Hey guys this is my first cycle and a light one just to see how I react. I don't have much information based on my size and dosage for pct. I purchased clomid and don't know how much I should take and for how long. I'm 28 yo and 165 pounds is clomid even my best option and how much do I take? If there is a substitute that is lighter and less side effects that I can take id much rather do that. Thanks!
submitted by moneyfingers33 to PostCycleTherapy [link] [comments]
2024.05.14 03:00 thebeanshadow Current list of Australian TRT Clinics + Where to get bloodwork + Things to consider before starting + Types of TRT
This was created as a place to feel welcome, and to discuss and talk about all things TRT in Australia.
We have an influx of clinics opening up here, with an influx of new people to TRT, and it's only growing
(did you know GP prescribed testosterone has risen over 500% in the last 10yrs worldwide...)
Below is a breakdown of TRT, clinics and bloodwork.
TYPES OF TRT
There are a few methods of TRT in Australia and the world.
Injectable testosterone -- this is the standard type of TRT method with the most amount of research and usage to date. Typically injected Intra-Muscularly, but with more data showing that SubQ injections are just as effective and could potentially have lower side effects due to the slower release
Testosterone Cream & Gel -- Topical ointments can be great due to not having to inject weekly, daily etc, just apply and carry on, but, with topicals, especially Gel - the risk of transfer to other people is very high, you also don't know how much is actually getting absorbed into your skin, and generally you aren't allowed to swim for 6hrs post application
Enclomiphene & Clomid -- This tablet form of TRT has some popularity as it doesn't shut down your natural production and helps to raise it instead, it is also one step even easier than topicals but the overall effectiveness and long term use aren't fully understood and anecdotally seem to be less effective over time and may stop working.
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) - another injectable form of TRT but instead of replacing the bodies natural production with an exogenous source, HCG will instead stimulate LH production, almost "forcing" the body to produce naturally -- HCG is often used alongside injectable testosterone to maintain testicular function and natural production
** Some people have success with all forms of TRT, but anecdotally, injectable TRT is still the king of testosterone.
CLINICS
If you are looking for a reputable clinic, below are some clinics that are recommended by Aussies;
PHC - Performance Health Clinic * No yearly or ongoing fees, a pay as you go service, with a more hands off approach + bloodwork every 3mths + cost of medication
EMC - Enhanced Mens Clinic *$1000 yearly fee + bloodwork every 3mths + cost of medication
Primal Zone *$350 initial consult, $100 bloodwork review + cost of medication
The Functional Doctors - over 40s clinic * Bloodwork every 3mths ($300 panel must be done) + $300 consults every 3mths + cost of medication
XY Theraputics - Over 40s clinic * Byo bloodwork or $210 in-house panel. Start up; $299=consult and blood tests $150=consult plus BYO bloodwork - ongoing costs $92 consult and review
TRT Australia * Yearly $860, Quarterly $240, Semi-Annualy $480 - Includes medication, bloodwork review (BYO blood), check-ins
PRIVATE BLOODWORK If you have a good GP that will do bloodwork, that can be a lifesaver, but if not, these companies are trusted and can usually have results within 24hrs.
iMedical * Recommended tests to get before starting your journey are Sports BB2 $172, BB3 $186, BB4 $248
RoidSafe * A smaller set of testing compared to iMedical, but for $50, you can get a snapshot of your bloodwork. This is perfect for patients who know how to read bloodwork and just want to monitor.
Things recommended to check before starting TRT or the journey to TRT;
Semen analysis - It's important to check your sperm health and count before starting as testosterone, sex hormones and your sperm all work closely together - and if you want to have children in the future; you absolutely need a baseline
Sleep study - A very large portion of men have sleep apnea that is directly linked to low testosterone levels, it's important to rule this out as it could be a large contributing factor to how you feel and what your levels show
Full blood panel - You're not just checking testosterone levels, you're checking everything, Vitamin D, Thyroid, Testosterone, Prostate. You need a full panel to be able to tell a full story. And even then, your lifestyle can tell an even bigger part of the story to what's on the paper in front of you.
It's important to remember that TRT can be life changing for a lot of men, but changing your life even the smallest bit can help just as much, as low T symptoms can be caused by a plethora of other illnesses or issues and you need to rule out everything you can;
TRT is generally a "for life" dependant medication; meaning if you have low T and you want normal testosterone levels, you will need to be on TRT for life. You can come off at any time, but you will go back to the original baseline levels you had before starting, and in some cases, go back lower than baseline.
submitted by thebeanshadow to AusTRT [link] [comments]
We have an influx of clinics opening up here, with an influx of new people to TRT, and it's only growing
(did you know GP prescribed testosterone has risen over 500% in the last 10yrs worldwide...)
Below is a breakdown of TRT, clinics and bloodwork.
There are a few methods of TRT in Australia and the world.
Injectable testosterone -- this is the standard type of TRT method with the most amount of research and usage to date. Typically injected Intra-Muscularly, but with more data showing that SubQ injections are just as effective and could potentially have lower side effects due to the slower release
Testosterone Cream & Gel -- Topical ointments can be great due to not having to inject weekly, daily etc, just apply and carry on, but, with topicals, especially Gel - the risk of transfer to other people is very high, you also don't know how much is actually getting absorbed into your skin, and generally you aren't allowed to swim for 6hrs post application
Enclomiphene & Clomid -- This tablet form of TRT has some popularity as it doesn't shut down your natural production and helps to raise it instead, it is also one step even easier than topicals but the overall effectiveness and long term use aren't fully understood and anecdotally seem to be less effective over time and may stop working.
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) - another injectable form of TRT but instead of replacing the bodies natural production with an exogenous source, HCG will instead stimulate LH production, almost "forcing" the body to produce naturally -- HCG is often used alongside injectable testosterone to maintain testicular function and natural production
** Some people have success with all forms of TRT, but anecdotally, injectable TRT is still the king of testosterone.
If you are looking for a reputable clinic, below are some clinics that are recommended by Aussies;
PHC - Performance Health Clinic * No yearly or ongoing fees, a pay as you go service, with a more hands off approach + bloodwork every 3mths + cost of medication
EMC - Enhanced Mens Clinic *$1000 yearly fee + bloodwork every 3mths + cost of medication
Primal Zone *$350 initial consult, $100 bloodwork review + cost of medication
The Functional Doctors - over 40s clinic * Bloodwork every 3mths ($300 panel must be done) + $300 consults every 3mths + cost of medication
XY Theraputics - Over 40s clinic * Byo bloodwork or $210 in-house panel. Start up; $299=consult and blood tests $150=consult plus BYO bloodwork - ongoing costs $92 consult and review
TRT Australia * Yearly $860, Quarterly $240, Semi-Annualy $480 - Includes medication, bloodwork review (BYO blood), check-ins
iMedical * Recommended tests to get before starting your journey are Sports BB2 $172, BB3 $186, BB4 $248
RoidSafe * A smaller set of testing compared to iMedical, but for $50, you can get a snapshot of your bloodwork. This is perfect for patients who know how to read bloodwork and just want to monitor.
Semen analysis - It's important to check your sperm health and count before starting as testosterone, sex hormones and your sperm all work closely together - and if you want to have children in the future; you absolutely need a baseline
Sleep study - A very large portion of men have sleep apnea that is directly linked to low testosterone levels, it's important to rule this out as it could be a large contributing factor to how you feel and what your levels show
Full blood panel - You're not just checking testosterone levels, you're checking everything, Vitamin D, Thyroid, Testosterone, Prostate. You need a full panel to be able to tell a full story. And even then, your lifestyle can tell an even bigger part of the story to what's on the paper in front of you.
TRT is generally a "for life" dependant medication; meaning if you have low T and you want normal testosterone levels, you will need to be on TRT for life. You can come off at any time, but you will go back to the original baseline levels you had before starting, and in some cases, go back lower than baseline.
2024.05.13 18:42 marcodlc23 Need advice before next doctor appointment
Hey Guys, I started TRT about 3 years ago. Test Cyp starting at 75mg and over time going all the way up to almost 200mg. Those first couple years were amazing. Felt better, slept better, sex drive and performance increased greatly. Incredible overall mood. Lost weight and gained muscle. At one point I tried adding clomid and enclomiphine but couldn't stick with either due to bad side effects. About this time last year things started turning for me. Gaining weight, sex drive down, slow to get or keep an erection. Gaining weight. Mood down. Testicle atrophy. My test numbers were very high last summer but estrogen seemed normal. We added pregnyl and it seemed to help with atrophy and sex drive a bit but side effects were pretty terrible for me. Couldn't sleep. Fatigue. Burning skin sensation, increased heart rate, bloated etc. so I've stopped that twice now after trying. I've tried dropping test cyp down to about 125mg a week. But I just feel stuck and want to be back where I was those first couple years. I heard ovidrel worked better for some with pregnyl sides but my doctor didn't seem receptive. He also didn't seem receptive to adding an AI. should I push for these additions again? Did all of this turn for the worse by going up too high on the weekly test cyp? Sorry for this long post but want to give the full picture to see what those of you with experience could advise me. Thanks a lot in advance! im gonna add some recent labs below
submitted by marcodlc23 to Testosterone [link] [comments]
2024.05.12 21:02 Far-Plate2503 Does HCG spike progesterone?
Sometime back I posted that when I inject HCG I get this intense high/euporia/drunkness. I was told by my TRT doc and the community here that there is no mechanism for HCG to give you a high. So I got a new vail of HCG from another company but I got the same high. Just 15 minutes after the injection, I am so high I can't do much and this lasts days. I did some digging and found that it is widely known side-effect of biological males taking high doses of progesterone when transitioning to females. MtF has many reports of this.
My new plan is to stop HCG for 2 weeks, get baseline progesterone, 17OH-progesterone, pregnenolone, DHEA, cortisol, then get on low dose 150IUx2/wk HCG (previous dose was 250IUx2/wk) and retest.
Some interesting HCG benefits, since starting HCG my back pain is gone, my GI issues are gone, my insomnia is gone. I had back pain and GI issues for 7 years but insomnia only after starting TRT a year ago.
Some background: I have been a strong responder to Clomid (880TT on clomid) so my issue is signal from the brain, I am not a prior drug user, have tried few things at parties but that's all.
My theory is perhaps I was always low on progesterone and that's why I got the back pain and the GI issues (IBS). Perhaps HCG is spiking progesterone and that's both solving those issues but also giving me high since my brain has gotten too sensitive to progesterone.
Does my thinking make sense?
submitted by Far-Plate2503 to Testosterone [link] [comments]
My new plan is to stop HCG for 2 weeks, get baseline progesterone, 17OH-progesterone, pregnenolone, DHEA, cortisol, then get on low dose 150IUx2/wk HCG (previous dose was 250IUx2/wk) and retest.
Some interesting HCG benefits, since starting HCG my back pain is gone, my GI issues are gone, my insomnia is gone. I had back pain and GI issues for 7 years but insomnia only after starting TRT a year ago.
Some background: I have been a strong responder to Clomid (880TT on clomid) so my issue is signal from the brain, I am not a prior drug user, have tried few things at parties but that's all.
My theory is perhaps I was always low on progesterone and that's why I got the back pain and the GI issues (IBS). Perhaps HCG is spiking progesterone and that's both solving those issues but also giving me high since my brain has gotten too sensitive to progesterone.
Does my thinking make sense?
2024.05.12 20:51 partygnarl Worse IVF results on Metformin?
Hi folks,
I'm 35, turning 36 next month, and just finished my third round of stims. I was diagnosed with DOR last year due to my AMH (0.79), FSH (13), and AFC (6), while undergoing IUI. My RE put me on metformin because my A1C was borderline prediabetic at the time (5.7). He suspected insulin resistance, though this was never confirmed, and thought metformin might improve chances of pregnancy. I was able to get pregnant via IUI, and went off metformin at that point (primary care doc okayed it, she didn't think I needed to be on it in the first place), but sadly we lost our baby at the beginning of my second trimester due to T18. My husband and I decided to move forward with IVF this year, in the hopes of being able to create a few euploid embryos.
This February, I had an ER that exceeded my wildest dreams: 9 eggs, 7 of which were mature. However, we had fertilization issues, with just 1 egg fertilizing, and that became our sole embryo to-date. When reviewing what we could do to improve outcomes for our next cycle, my doctor said he wanted me back on metformin. I began taking it immediately, and attempted a second cycle in March. That round was cancelled due to only 2 follicles growing, despite having the exact same stim protocol.
We took six weeks off, in the hopes that my body just needed time to recover, and jumped back in this past cycle (I stayed on MF the whole time). This cycle was pretty similar to the March cycle, but we went ahead with the ER anyway: 3 follicles grew, we got 3 eggs, 2 of which fertilized, and the blast rate is still TBD (we did a couple things to improve fertilization rate, namely thawing 2 vials of sperm, adding on PICSI). However, my clinic updated all my labs during this cycle, and I was astounded to see that my AMH is now at 0.20. I know this can happen organically, but it was wild to see such a big drop in just 14 months. The labs also showed that my A1C is now well within the normal range, and I'm no longer prediabetic.
I've been doing some reading on things that can impact AMH, and there are certain medications that can play a role, namely clomid, which was part of my stim protocol, and metformin. It appears that metformin can also suppress antral follicles, though all the papers I've found have studied this in PCOS patients, not DOR patients. I'm just wondering how common it is to prescribe metformin to DOR patients, and if the suppressive effect happens with us, too? Also, has anyone achieved better results after coming off metformin? This cycle was our last insurance-covered round, but if the metformin was partly to blame and we could do one more ER with results like our first one, I might be willing to pay OOP for one last chance at being able to make embryos…
submitted by partygnarl to DOR [link] [comments]
I'm 35, turning 36 next month, and just finished my third round of stims. I was diagnosed with DOR last year due to my AMH (0.79), FSH (13), and AFC (6), while undergoing IUI. My RE put me on metformin because my A1C was borderline prediabetic at the time (5.7). He suspected insulin resistance, though this was never confirmed, and thought metformin might improve chances of pregnancy. I was able to get pregnant via IUI, and went off metformin at that point (primary care doc okayed it, she didn't think I needed to be on it in the first place), but sadly we lost our baby at the beginning of my second trimester due to T18. My husband and I decided to move forward with IVF this year, in the hopes of being able to create a few euploid embryos.
This February, I had an ER that exceeded my wildest dreams: 9 eggs, 7 of which were mature. However, we had fertilization issues, with just 1 egg fertilizing, and that became our sole embryo to-date. When reviewing what we could do to improve outcomes for our next cycle, my doctor said he wanted me back on metformin. I began taking it immediately, and attempted a second cycle in March. That round was cancelled due to only 2 follicles growing, despite having the exact same stim protocol.
We took six weeks off, in the hopes that my body just needed time to recover, and jumped back in this past cycle (I stayed on MF the whole time). This cycle was pretty similar to the March cycle, but we went ahead with the ER anyway: 3 follicles grew, we got 3 eggs, 2 of which fertilized, and the blast rate is still TBD (we did a couple things to improve fertilization rate, namely thawing 2 vials of sperm, adding on PICSI). However, my clinic updated all my labs during this cycle, and I was astounded to see that my AMH is now at 0.20. I know this can happen organically, but it was wild to see such a big drop in just 14 months. The labs also showed that my A1C is now well within the normal range, and I'm no longer prediabetic.
I've been doing some reading on things that can impact AMH, and there are certain medications that can play a role, namely clomid, which was part of my stim protocol, and metformin. It appears that metformin can also suppress antral follicles, though all the papers I've found have studied this in PCOS patients, not DOR patients. I'm just wondering how common it is to prescribe metformin to DOR patients, and if the suppressive effect happens with us, too? Also, has anyone achieved better results after coming off metformin? This cycle was our last insurance-covered round, but if the metformin was partly to blame and we could do one more ER with results like our first one, I might be willing to pay OOP for one last chance at being able to make embryos…
2024.05.12 01:22 QuackyFace Daily should I get on TRT post (21 years old)
I know you all are probably tired of these posts, but I would like to explain my situation a little bit
Growing up around 11 after a concussion my life kinda went downhill. At ages 12-19 I was overweight then obese. Unhealthy lifestyle, addicted to computers. Freshman year of college I decided to change my life and lose weight and hit the gym. I went from 245 lbs to ~165 from age 18-19.
I have gotten decent progress with 365/260/535 lifts, but my body does definitely not show that lol.
My total test was 360 a year ago and 342 1 month after. I was retested again this February with a total of 490. I felt good at this moment with a new job and everything felt good. I am getting retested for total AND free testosterone in 1 week. I definitely do not feel as good as I did when I was at 490. From there the endocrinologist will decide if I will be able to be put on TRT.
The past 1-3 years I have been trying all kinds of methods to increase my test. Clomid (stopped due to side effects), sermorelin, healthy diet, active lifestyle, etc.
Some lab work from 10 months ago: TSH: 0.41 L LH: 12.80 FSH: 2.24 Cortisol 15.8 (has come down over span of many months) DHEA: 9.360 (has come down over span of many months) Estrogen: 19
I lean towards wanting to get on to TRT due to after 2-3 years of hard work, I am really not satisfied with how I feel and look. My father is on TRT after being diagnosed with low T decades ago. (i am not sure whether any T issues can be genetically related). I am afraid of fertility or heart issues down the line. I would like to have HCG alongside TRT to preserve fertility, but the ultimate question is.... Should I get on TRT if my results are low next week?
Obviously there is probably a lot of stuff I am overlooking or am ignorant to. That is why I am posting this here.
submitted by QuackyFace to Testosterone [link] [comments]
Growing up around 11 after a concussion my life kinda went downhill. At ages 12-19 I was overweight then obese. Unhealthy lifestyle, addicted to computers. Freshman year of college I decided to change my life and lose weight and hit the gym. I went from 245 lbs to ~165 from age 18-19.
I have gotten decent progress with 365/260/535 lifts, but my body does definitely not show that lol.
My total test was 360 a year ago and 342 1 month after. I was retested again this February with a total of 490. I felt good at this moment with a new job and everything felt good. I am getting retested for total AND free testosterone in 1 week. I definitely do not feel as good as I did when I was at 490. From there the endocrinologist will decide if I will be able to be put on TRT.
The past 1-3 years I have been trying all kinds of methods to increase my test. Clomid (stopped due to side effects), sermorelin, healthy diet, active lifestyle, etc.
Some lab work from 10 months ago: TSH: 0.41 L LH: 12.80 FSH: 2.24 Cortisol 15.8 (has come down over span of many months) DHEA: 9.360 (has come down over span of many months) Estrogen: 19
I lean towards wanting to get on to TRT due to after 2-3 years of hard work, I am really not satisfied with how I feel and look. My father is on TRT after being diagnosed with low T decades ago. (i am not sure whether any T issues can be genetically related). I am afraid of fertility or heart issues down the line. I would like to have HCG alongside TRT to preserve fertility, but the ultimate question is.... Should I get on TRT if my results are low next week?
Obviously there is probably a lot of stuff I am overlooking or am ignorant to. That is why I am posting this here.
2024.05.11 17:43 Connect_Pension3694 Injured and not sure how (or from who) to get diagnosed
(67 F) I'm 5'2 and was 150 lbs. when this injury happened/white. Had breast cancer (stage 1) 3 years ago-lumpectomy & 10 days radiation at Memorial Sloan Kettering-currently on Aromasin (brand name-not generic). Previously on Femara (brand name). Both these AIs cause a lot of collateral damage. I have 2 more years to go.
Also taking eye drops (Fluoromethenolone) and Acyclovir 800 for herpes in L eye (for 10 yrs). I take MethlyFolate with B, Vitamin D (500), and New Chapter Bone Strength (plant calcium) usually 2 or 4 a day.
I had tick borne illnesses from 2011 -2015.-Babesiosis, Bartonella and Anaplasmosis. I was basically in bed for a few years, but could not get a diagnosis locally until I went to Center for Complex Diseases in CA. I never tested positive for Lyme, but a lot of viruses seemed to reactivate and showed in blood tests at that time (EBV, several Herpes viruses, Parvo, and I think a few others. ) The EBV values were very, very high. If it's important for this diagnosis I will find the bloodwork from 2015. The Mepron was not tolerable and I didn't continue.
PRIMARY COMPLAINT.
I (67 F) handled 3 bags, 40 lbs. each, of chicken feed before leaving for Mexico. I tossed them into the car, then tossed 2 onto a sled and dragged across the grass to the barn about 50 feet away. It was very hard to pull them. The other one I carried. Then I lifted each bag into a metal can.
This was March 6, 2024. The next day (or so) I was hurting in both upper arms (elbows to shoulders) and both upper legs-mostly top of legs at groin, but also side hip pain-which I've had on and off in the past. It felt like muscle pain, not joint pain.
I went to Mexico for 6 weeks and was allowed a break from the Aromasin. I stopped Aromasin March 12 and went to Mexico March 14. (Last year in June I was on Femara and had a 4 week break in Mexico and the joint/muscle pain from Femara all stopped-I was able to walk about 4-5 miles a day-pain free).
This time the pain from the injury didn't subside at all. At its worst I could not push myself out of bed, nor sit or stand without a lot of pain and shakiness. I could not pick something off the floor. At best I could walk around the city a bit-and look kind of normal with just some limping-and a lot rest breaks.
I had a massage from a local woman (not trained in massage at all) and she "cured" my right arm, but not the left arm. To this day my right arm it is almost pain free, left arm is still terrible. I have a short video of me trying to lift toothpaste with left arm (at 45 degree angle) and my arm kind of jerks upward slowly. It was painful to do this.
While still in Mexico I went to a MD who specializes in muscle pain and had 3 ultrasound treatments/ massage of the sore muscles of arms and legs. I got immediate relief from 2 treatments and could walk normally (instead of limping) and function almost pain free for 2 days then it would all come back the 3rd AM. One of her treatments had no effect at all.
I had 3 other massages and got 2 day relief from the less trained woman, and no relief from the trained woman. Again, not sure how this is possible.
In Mexico I had no car so to eat I had to walk to restaurants. Sometimes this helped (like less than 2 miles over the whole day) but if I exceeded this I paid for it the next day. While in Mex I lost 10 lbs. partly because some days I could not walk for food.
Over my weeks in Mexico my Right IT band got stiffer and stairs became difficult.
Now back in US, over 9 weeks later, the pain is the same. It's terrible in the AM and usually a bit better in the afternoon-but not always. Unless I take Advil I'm not really functioning on the bad days and sleep is impossible. I continue with gentle yoga weekly (scaled back from regular yoga and some 5# weight lifting), and acupuncture weekly which was helping with normal Aromasin pain, previous to this injury, but does not seem to help this new pain. I found a pain massage therapist in my town, and the first 2 visits helped a lot and the 3rd massage made things a lot worse. She believes this to be muscular, rather than joint related, and possibly the arm pain is at the deltoid muscle attachment. That matches the area of pain and the ROM limitations I'm reading about. We are also checking on infraspinatus issues. The IT band is a lot better from massage and maybe acupuncture helped.
So I'm doing yoga (tai chi), acupuncture and massage while waiting for other doc visits.
There is also pain in the front of left shoulder but only when I lie on my back. This started prior to the injury so probably not related, but it seems to be getting worse.
I sometimes use CBD or CBD/THC gummies for sleep which don't seem to help with pain might help with sleep. I used CBD/CBG oil in Mexico which dId seems to help (it seemed to have THC in it too). I use CBD salve on L arm which sometimes helps (depending on the brand). I have prescription Lidocaine patches which don't help at all. Tylenol does not seem to help at all.
I went to an orthopedist locally who thinks this is osteoarthritis (but did not evaluate my L arm) but because it happened in one day, is bilateral, there is no crepitus, I think the pain is muscular rather than joint. Also, would massage fix the pain of right arm if this is joint related? Maybe it would, but....it seems more inflammation or muscle.
I have some OK days (pain 3-4) and some horrible days (pain 10 or about equal to "post shoulder surgery" pain which I had for rotator cuff of right shoulder in 2006). On the bad days everything hurts worse (arms and legs) and the pain radiates down to my left thumb. On good days the pain stays in upper left arm.
I kept detailed notes on the pain but didn't see any patterns that could explain what helped and what didn't. It seems hit or miss.
I can't sleep because there is no comfortable position-so now having dizzy /vertigo episodes which are pretty scary.
I don't smoke and don't drink at all (sober 42 years). I only use gummies which I cleared with Sloan. I don't take any rec drugs. We eat fairly clean, but not perfect.
I'm not sure what to do next to get a diagnosis. I'm going to PT on May 16th and Rheumatologist at NYU on May 22. What do you all think? Is there some other specialist I should see? I fear this will be permanent without a correct diagnosis. Any suggestions would help, and thanks in advance to anyone with an opinion.......
submitted by Connect_Pension3694 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Also taking eye drops (Fluoromethenolone) and Acyclovir 800 for herpes in L eye (for 10 yrs). I take MethlyFolate with B, Vitamin D (500), and New Chapter Bone Strength (plant calcium) usually 2 or 4 a day.
I had tick borne illnesses from 2011 -2015.-Babesiosis, Bartonella and Anaplasmosis. I was basically in bed for a few years, but could not get a diagnosis locally until I went to Center for Complex Diseases in CA. I never tested positive for Lyme, but a lot of viruses seemed to reactivate and showed in blood tests at that time (EBV, several Herpes viruses, Parvo, and I think a few others. ) The EBV values were very, very high. If it's important for this diagnosis I will find the bloodwork from 2015. The Mepron was not tolerable and I didn't continue.
PRIMARY COMPLAINT.
I (67 F) handled 3 bags, 40 lbs. each, of chicken feed before leaving for Mexico. I tossed them into the car, then tossed 2 onto a sled and dragged across the grass to the barn about 50 feet away. It was very hard to pull them. The other one I carried. Then I lifted each bag into a metal can.
This was March 6, 2024. The next day (or so) I was hurting in both upper arms (elbows to shoulders) and both upper legs-mostly top of legs at groin, but also side hip pain-which I've had on and off in the past. It felt like muscle pain, not joint pain.
I went to Mexico for 6 weeks and was allowed a break from the Aromasin. I stopped Aromasin March 12 and went to Mexico March 14. (Last year in June I was on Femara and had a 4 week break in Mexico and the joint/muscle pain from Femara all stopped-I was able to walk about 4-5 miles a day-pain free).
This time the pain from the injury didn't subside at all. At its worst I could not push myself out of bed, nor sit or stand without a lot of pain and shakiness. I could not pick something off the floor. At best I could walk around the city a bit-and look kind of normal with just some limping-and a lot rest breaks.
I had a massage from a local woman (not trained in massage at all) and she "cured" my right arm, but not the left arm. To this day my right arm it is almost pain free, left arm is still terrible. I have a short video of me trying to lift toothpaste with left arm (at 45 degree angle) and my arm kind of jerks upward slowly. It was painful to do this.
While still in Mexico I went to a MD who specializes in muscle pain and had 3 ultrasound treatments/ massage of the sore muscles of arms and legs. I got immediate relief from 2 treatments and could walk normally (instead of limping) and function almost pain free for 2 days then it would all come back the 3rd AM. One of her treatments had no effect at all.
I had 3 other massages and got 2 day relief from the less trained woman, and no relief from the trained woman. Again, not sure how this is possible.
In Mexico I had no car so to eat I had to walk to restaurants. Sometimes this helped (like less than 2 miles over the whole day) but if I exceeded this I paid for it the next day. While in Mex I lost 10 lbs. partly because some days I could not walk for food.
Over my weeks in Mexico my Right IT band got stiffer and stairs became difficult.
Now back in US, over 9 weeks later, the pain is the same. It's terrible in the AM and usually a bit better in the afternoon-but not always. Unless I take Advil I'm not really functioning on the bad days and sleep is impossible. I continue with gentle yoga weekly (scaled back from regular yoga and some 5# weight lifting), and acupuncture weekly which was helping with normal Aromasin pain, previous to this injury, but does not seem to help this new pain. I found a pain massage therapist in my town, and the first 2 visits helped a lot and the 3rd massage made things a lot worse. She believes this to be muscular, rather than joint related, and possibly the arm pain is at the deltoid muscle attachment. That matches the area of pain and the ROM limitations I'm reading about. We are also checking on infraspinatus issues. The IT band is a lot better from massage and maybe acupuncture helped.
So I'm doing yoga (tai chi), acupuncture and massage while waiting for other doc visits.
There is also pain in the front of left shoulder but only when I lie on my back. This started prior to the injury so probably not related, but it seems to be getting worse.
I sometimes use CBD or CBD/THC gummies for sleep which don't seem to help with pain might help with sleep. I used CBD/CBG oil in Mexico which dId seems to help (it seemed to have THC in it too). I use CBD salve on L arm which sometimes helps (depending on the brand). I have prescription Lidocaine patches which don't help at all. Tylenol does not seem to help at all.
I went to an orthopedist locally who thinks this is osteoarthritis (but did not evaluate my L arm) but because it happened in one day, is bilateral, there is no crepitus, I think the pain is muscular rather than joint. Also, would massage fix the pain of right arm if this is joint related? Maybe it would, but....it seems more inflammation or muscle.
I have some OK days (pain 3-4) and some horrible days (pain 10 or about equal to "post shoulder surgery" pain which I had for rotator cuff of right shoulder in 2006). On the bad days everything hurts worse (arms and legs) and the pain radiates down to my left thumb. On good days the pain stays in upper left arm.
I kept detailed notes on the pain but didn't see any patterns that could explain what helped and what didn't. It seems hit or miss.
I can't sleep because there is no comfortable position-so now having dizzy /vertigo episodes which are pretty scary.
I don't smoke and don't drink at all (sober 42 years). I only use gummies which I cleared with Sloan. I don't take any rec drugs. We eat fairly clean, but not perfect.
I'm not sure what to do next to get a diagnosis. I'm going to PT on May 16th and Rheumatologist at NYU on May 22. What do you all think? Is there some other specialist I should see? I fear this will be permanent without a correct diagnosis. Any suggestions would help, and thanks in advance to anyone with an opinion.......
2024.05.11 08:21 peachyglw Poor responder during stims, low amh, high fsh looking for priming or new protocols
Looking for advice of priming cycles and protocols for DOR. I am feeling so disappointed in myself and defeated at my progress.
I am 34, with a low amh 9 pmol/l or 1.2 ng/ml and FSH 16. My AFC back in January was 16 but when I did my baseline in April, it was 7. I also have a large dermoid ovarian cyst (9cm) on my right ovary which caused significant pain during stims. They ended up retrieving 3 eggs, 2 mature. I was advised by multiple obgyns to freeze my eggs before the cyst removal surgery.
I had my first egg retrieval for freezing 2 weeks ago. The procedure itself was fine but the whole experience of stims was one of the worst experiences of my life. My monitoring appointments went from 3 to every day for 9 days. The nurses were dismissive and would provide little information or insight during my appointments, and I could never speak to a doctor. I had no idea what was really going on until more than midway through when I broke down with a new nurse during an appointment. They told me there was an extra $3k fee if I were to cancel my cycle. I still haven’t heard from them post-surgery and it’s been 2 weeks, but keep being told someone will contact me as the admin staff can’t disclose information over the phone. Needless to say, I am looking for another clinic.
My protocol was menopur 150, gonal f 300, and clomid and an HCG trigger with a 9 day cycle. I was a poor responder even though I had side effects and pain. I’m surprised that my AFC went down by over 50% in a couple of months, is this normal? I read it does fluctuate but I feel like mine was a significant drop. I have been taking supplements: ubiquinol, vitamin e, vitamin d, omega 3 (with dha) and am feeling defeated at my results. I have recently added wheatgrass this week. Should I be adding a prenatal or NAC?
I went for a consultation at a new clinic and the doctor suggested the following protocol. She says she’s more concerned about my high FSH. Has anyone primed similar to this, or can share any of their protocols who have similar profiles to me?
Priming:
Lupin-estradiol, Promentrium, Testosterone Gel
Protocol:
Puregon, Menopur, Clomiphene Citrate, Orgalutran, Decapeptyl, Pregnyl
I’m really trying to be proactive this time especially with my poor experience the first time around. I am in Canada but would have love to have done this overseas if I didn’t have the cyst, as it has already cost me almost $20k. This experience has been really emotionally taxing on me, especially with the cyst which has been physically painful and continues to be while I’m recovering.
submitted by peachyglw to eggfreezing [link] [comments]
I am 34, with a low amh 9 pmol/l or 1.2 ng/ml and FSH 16. My AFC back in January was 16 but when I did my baseline in April, it was 7. I also have a large dermoid ovarian cyst (9cm) on my right ovary which caused significant pain during stims. They ended up retrieving 3 eggs, 2 mature. I was advised by multiple obgyns to freeze my eggs before the cyst removal surgery.
I had my first egg retrieval for freezing 2 weeks ago. The procedure itself was fine but the whole experience of stims was one of the worst experiences of my life. My monitoring appointments went from 3 to every day for 9 days. The nurses were dismissive and would provide little information or insight during my appointments, and I could never speak to a doctor. I had no idea what was really going on until more than midway through when I broke down with a new nurse during an appointment. They told me there was an extra $3k fee if I were to cancel my cycle. I still haven’t heard from them post-surgery and it’s been 2 weeks, but keep being told someone will contact me as the admin staff can’t disclose information over the phone. Needless to say, I am looking for another clinic.
My protocol was menopur 150, gonal f 300, and clomid and an HCG trigger with a 9 day cycle. I was a poor responder even though I had side effects and pain. I’m surprised that my AFC went down by over 50% in a couple of months, is this normal? I read it does fluctuate but I feel like mine was a significant drop. I have been taking supplements: ubiquinol, vitamin e, vitamin d, omega 3 (with dha) and am feeling defeated at my results. I have recently added wheatgrass this week. Should I be adding a prenatal or NAC?
I went for a consultation at a new clinic and the doctor suggested the following protocol. She says she’s more concerned about my high FSH. Has anyone primed similar to this, or can share any of their protocols who have similar profiles to me?
Priming:
Lupin-estradiol, Promentrium, Testosterone Gel
Protocol:
Puregon, Menopur, Clomiphene Citrate, Orgalutran, Decapeptyl, Pregnyl
I’m really trying to be proactive this time especially with my poor experience the first time around. I am in Canada but would have love to have done this overseas if I didn’t have the cyst, as it has already cost me almost $20k. This experience has been really emotionally taxing on me, especially with the cyst which has been physically painful and continues to be while I’m recovering.
2024.05.11 03:06 Plane-Ice-1828 Everything I did to glow up in 2 years
Warning this will be a long post, it has everything I've learnt in the past couple of years from hair growth, to styling, to weightloss, to nervous system regulation and more.
I'm in my early 30s, I have 3B hair, tall, two years ago I was obese, prediabetic, I had anxiety problems, now I'm just a tall [seemingly ;) ] effortlessly pretty black girl and I want all my beauties on here to have my beauty secrets.
Topics discussed:
Hair Growth: Here is the true secret sauce to hair growth, stimulating your scalp. I do daily scalp massages with a bamboo brush (even the bristles are made of rounded bamboo) very gentle. This is the one I use: Golab Beauty I do short strokes which prevents any tangles. Morning and Night. I then go in with a scalp serum, I use The Oui scalp serum but it costs a pretty penny. In the first yearish I used (The 'Ordinary' Haircare Growth Set Multi-Peptide Serum For Hair Density) which worked wonders and was cost effective. At nights I seal with any scalp oil that has rosemary oil. Sadly Mielle's formula no longer works for me, but As I Am rosemary oil has been working, I also like the Camille Rose Rosemary Oil Strengthening Hair and Scalp Drops. For Washing my hair I suffer from sebaceous dermatitis which causes scaliness. Paradoxically my scalp is so oily which is what triggers the ezcema and develops the dry patches. Reversing my PCOS symptoms fixed this but what also helped was the Nizoral shampoo with 1% Ketoconazole. It's harsh so I do it once to twice a month at most and I always follow up with a moisturizing shampoo, and of course finish with a wash out conditioner & leave in conditioner.
Hair Retention: This is the info we all know about preventing breakage but I'll include just in case. Hair growth happens in the scalp like said before but to retain that growth it's important to wear protective hairstyles (especially while asleep), a silk/satin bonnet or wrap, silk/satin pillowcase, do not let your hair air dry at night. There is debate about this but I've seen hair specialists and scientists say our hair is especially fragile when wet (especially curly/kinky hair). Therefore, we are much more prone to snags and breakage while our hair is wet. So going to bed make sure your hair is dried. If you're air drying your hair during the day try not to touch it too much - as little manipulation as possible. Personally choose to diffuse/blow dry my hair and this has prevented most of the breakage I was previously experiencing. Lastly, moisturize and oil your ends. I won't pretend like I know which order is best or even if it's important but I've found that using hair moisturizediluted leave in conditioner then hair oil works best for me.
Hirsutism/Facial Hair: Spearmint essential oil. I add 1-2 drops of the oil to my moisturizer each time I put on my moisturizer and it helped A LOT with reducing my facial hair. I also drink a lot of spearmint tea. Spearmint specifically has been proven to lower androgen/testosterone levels which is why it helps. I also took supplements which I'll include at the end because they served multiple purposes. Be sure not to add the oil to the entire bottle because that will ruin your moisturizer's formula. Just add the drops in your palm/finger tips and mix in your face cream each time you moisturize your jawline, chin, underneck. Also, do this after moisturizing the upper part of your face without the oil because it's harsh and the scent can be irritating to your eye area.
Body hair: Personally I sugar wax my arms and legs, the hair has grown back so thin now. I make it myself and follow tutorials from abetweene on youtube.
Hair colouHairstyle: This will depend on your face shape and color season. I'm a dark winter colour season and I have a heart face shape. I used the Dressika app to discover my color season before I could afford to get myself professionally assessed and I got the same results. Just be sure to use natural lighting, like by a window. Once you have your colour season you can choose hair colours that work best for you (although natural almost always works best). For my hairstyle I try to choose styles that compliment my heart shaped face. I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with figuring this out.
This was the game changer with colour seasons. Most of us know about our true seasons, but it can get restrictive. Sister seasons and colour dissonance is also helpful to know.
My colour season is dark winter, so my sister seasons would be dark autumn and true winter. Thid gives me more wiggle room to style myself.
Dissonance are colours that are outside your true season and your sister seasons, you sprinke this in to add interest. Think of an outfit that is extremely matchy and cohesive but has that one accessory or item that stands out and adds interest. It's really fun in art and in fashion.
For my shoes I've started wearing dancing heels which help my flat feet lol and look stylish. Heel insoles help too, as well as the product Shoe Gummi. I still can't last more than 2, 3 hours at most but it's definitely bearable compared to before.
Matching pajamas and loungewear. You just feel so luxurious dressing up at home and they can (should) be comfy :)
Accessories:
I have a low visual weight face and I am a romantic ingenue, because of this I go for more subtle looks that emphasis two facial features maximum at a time (eyes, lips, cheeks).
Don't get me wrong I love glam bold makeup but soft and subtle makes me glow, I turn heads when my makeup is done like this.
Facial Care: The basics includes chemical exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover. I cycle my nightly skincare routine with this in mind and always keep the same morning routine. Mornings look like this (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, vitamin c/peptide serum, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, finish with sunscreen).
My nights I alternate these routines in this order
Night 1 - Chemical Exfoliation (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, glycolic/lactic acid, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 2 - Retinol (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire face, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Repeat Night 1 - 3 (sometimes I need more days to recover if my skin is sensitive or acting up, do what works for you personally)
Other things that I've done/used to help: red light therapy (helps with both hair growth, so I use it on my scalp, and with stretch marks so I use it on my face and body), Microcurrent device (helps with collagen production and stretchmarks) - I use the brand NuFace & NuBody, Volufiline (a skin serum I mix with eye cream that helps with hollowness under the eyes, Kigelia Africana Skin Cream (I use the brand Maelys B-Perky which contains this ingredient and helped to tighten my chest area and my loose skin on the area), face yoga and myo fascia face massage, these help with the tautness of my face (basically everything else helps with wrinkles, these exercises and the microcurrent helps and prevents, sagging especially jowls). I follow tutorials I search for from youtube.
Body Care: Similar to facial care body care includes exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover
Night 1 - Physical Exfoliation (Dry brush/Body Scrub, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Night 2 - Retinol (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, retinol body wash, retinol body lotion)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Again, repeat Night 1 - 3 use more days for recovery if needed
Stretch marks/loose skin: Whether due to weight gain, pregnancy, etc. we can't ever truly get rid of loose skin or stretch marks but moisturizing the skin and derma rolling can help with the appearance. Especially derma rolling. Do NOT derma roll while pregnant but you can do so after when you’ve recovered and talk to your doctor (if you've had a c section you have to wait before derma rolling). I used this video as motivation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChG8aSvEU6A
For the body I never went beyond 1.5mm it worked for my deepest stretch marks. If this is too aggressive 1.0mm still works just as well. Make sure you use 70% alcohol as this is what experts say is better at disinfecting. It has more water, which helps it to dissolve more slowly, penetrate cells, and kill bacteria. The disinfecting power of rubbing alcohol drops at concentrations higher than 80%-85%. Make sure you disinfect the derma roller before and after use, and make sure you disinfect your area of contact before rolling as well. Do not do heavy workouts workout or sweat inducing activities for at least 3 days after and avoid harsh products.
I started derma rolling while working on losing weight (at the beginning of my journey while still obese) and continued a year after losing 130lbs. Derma rolling works by causing micro tears, the skin heals the area and in the process of doing so develops more collagen - leading to thicker skin, lighter stretch marks and tighter skin. Since I did this before losing the weight it helped my skin adapt a lot. I won't pretend like I have 0 loose skin or stretch marks but it's barely visible. Someone has to be intimately close to notice. Obviously genetics, how slowly you lose the weight, diet, and moisturizing the skin helps but my PCOS contributed to low collagen (thin skin) and so the derma rolling really helped.
Weightloss comes down to calories in versus calories out. I know that's rudely simpliflied and not that easy, but it truly is the answer to weightloss (which may be fat, water, or muscle). This is why people can eat barely nothing, lose weight but their shape stays the same (basically skinny fat). It's also why fasting or going low carb works so fast (water weight is the first to go).
Fatloss on the other hand is more complicated. This involves our TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
TDEE includes: Resting/Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Metabolic Equivalent of Task or Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT), Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), and Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT).
BMR (~70% daily energy) the energy taken to exist, so tasks like breathing. Your sex, body composition (muscle to fat ratio), age, and genetics play a role in this EAT (~5% daily energy) the energy taken for exercise weight lifting, swimming, high intensity walks, etc. NEAT (~15% daily energy) the energy taken for non exercise movements like walking, fidgeting, showering, standing, etc TEF (~10% daily energy depending on the macronutrients of your meal) the energy taken to digest, protein has the highest TEF of all the macronutrients, Carbs have a TEF of around 5-10%, while Fats have the lowest TEF, around 0-3%.
Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT) is the changes in energy expenditure (energy used) that occur in response to changes in energy balance. For example when you eat more food than you need, your body may increase energy expenditure to prevent weight gain eg. move more, eat less the next day, etc.. On the other hand, when you eat less food than you need, your body may decrease energy expenditure to conserve energy and prevent weight loss eg. less movement, eat more the next day.
Other things that affect AT include diet composition (eg high/low protein, high/low carb, calorie dense foods, etc), physical activity (eg. weights vs. cardio), and environmental factors such as temperature and altitude.
Things that influence AT can make weight management challenging, as it can lead to plateaus or rebounds in weight loss efforts. This is why lack of sleep, hormonal issues, aging, etc. makes weightloss harder.
Here is a clearer example of this
Things that affect calories in:
To manage your insulin resistance (info from the book Glucose Goddess by Jessie Inchauspé):
Eg. If it's calculated to be 2000 calories, you subtract 200, so 1800 should be your daily calorie intake. For the activity levels make sure you do not oversell yourself. Here is a general guide:
Lastly, muscle mass (increase in muscle raises your metabolic level, meaning you burn more calories at rest). This is ideal and is also how you'll see someone who is short, seemingly small but weigh more than you imagined. Muscle density weighs more than fat. Think of a 50 pound dumbbell versus 50 pounds of feathers, you would need a whole lot of feathers to match the weight. Same difference, you need a larger volume of fat to equal to the same amount of muscle. Therefore, lifting weights is ideal because you will become more toned, burn more calories at rest, be able to eat more even when you've lost the weight to maintain your phisique, you'll be more insulin sensitive, and you will have stronger and higher bone density (really important for women, we lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade after the age of 30).
The benefits of this is as you're getting smaller your TDEE is increasing. This means by the time you lose the weight you'll still be eating an adequate amount. The other benefits include insulin sensitivity versus insulin resistence, higher metabolism, and a improved body composition like I mentioned before in the dummbell versus feather example. The downside is the number on the scale won't have a dramatic shift while your clothes will be fitting looser. Again, weight density plays tricks on us and it's easy to get caught up in body dismorphia but I promise it works.
In order to sustain and build muscle while losing fat, you need to be consuming enough protein while remaining in a caloric deficit. So 60-80g of protein per day minimum to lose 1-2lbs per week. Ideally it should be 0.8-1g of per pound of lean body mass. Eg, someone is 300lbs and they want to get down to 150lbs. They would eat 120-150g of protein per day. If this is too much, try to get at least 60-80g like I mentioned before. Remember even though 1-2lbs per week sounds small, the changes are significant because of the muscle gained. You will look and feel smaller.
Weightlifting for a rounder booty (I reshaped my glutes by weightlifting. Hormones can actually affect the shape and my PCOS did a number on me. I developed a V shape over the years. Round, square, heart, A shapes are all based on your bone structure and fat placement. Some of us just have those stubborn fat deposits in certain areas that are genetic, even when we lose the weight, it's a smaller version but the same shape. V shape on the other hand is largely seen in older women post menopause and in younger women with hormonal disorders. This is becuase the hormonal imbalances also causes muscle imbalances. Regulating your hormones helps but it won't grow the muscles for you, so I used Fit With Emely's glute guide based on your glute shape (completely free, I watched all her videos to get this info and it took me two years to go from a V shape to a round shape.
Here is the guideline for each shape:
Glute Maximus - Everyone should be working on glute maximus. It builds the shelf and overall size. Step ups (all variations), hip thrusts (all variations), lunges, rdl, leg press, all squat variations Glute Minimus - (V and Square shapes), this muscle fills in the middle between the top and lower glute. Hip abduction, single leg bridge, Standing hip abduction/cable raises Gute Medius - (Heart, Round, and A-shaped) this muscles builds a longer hip for top portion of the glutes. Eg. Single leg squat, Single leg deadlift, Cable clamshells, Reverse lung, step ups Underbutt - Everyone should be working on underbutt but this is especially useful for V shaped folks. It works the hamstrings and lower portion of glutes. Good mornings, single leg rdl (also works minimus), single leg hip thrust (also works maximus), hip abductors (also works minimus)
How to structure workout:
My full routine is:
For the ab separation from being obese, I did this workout 3 times a week (also helpful post pregnancy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smiGsW-mQX0
For my chest to help with getting perkier boobs (the derma rolling was what made the biggest difference, but this exercise helped as well though it took 6+ months for the changes to be significant. Women tend to take longer to grow chest muscles): https://youtu.be/hg7_R29jGIE?feature=shared
I also did workouts to help with my posture and mobility 3 times a week (any I could find online)
The last thing I will say is be mindful that you may gain weight initially when you start lifting weights. This is due to slight inflammation/water gain from foreign tension, which will last about a month or two before you adapt BUT your body will adapt, I promise. Keep in mind if it's days before your period or if you are on your period. It's not if, but when, our weight fluctuates. As long as you are in a deficit and doing everything right, the number will go down. Do not get discouraged!!!
Here is the edit to this post which includes my supplements, how I managed my inflammation, and how I improved my gut health. I also edited the information I shared prior to include a few more tips and lifestyle changes I made, and included a few more details. I also rearranged things so there is a separation between style/haiskin and health information. The post is getting really long so I may create a separate post for personal development/mindset tips.
In my case the inflammation from the PCOS led to gut inflammation due to the high levels of coritsal (stress hormones) in reaction to the high testosterone and insulin resistence. I also experienced metabolic inflammation (non alcoholic fatty liver disease), skin inflammation (as I mentioned earlier the ezcema on my scalp, alopecia, and hirsutism), adipose tissue inflammation, chronic low grade inflammation (this led to edema or fuid retention -> insulin resistance and my high testosteron/androgen levels also exacerbated this).
To fix this these were the thin I added to my life:
For weight loss issues, gut microbiomes influence hormones in producing and signaling leptin and ghrelin (these hormones regulate hunger and fullness signals). Inflammation and insulin resistence is also associated with gut health problems as mentioned before. Energy extraction from foods, certain gut bacteria are more efficient at extracting energy from food, particularly carbohydrates. When there is an imbalance, more calories can be absorbed from food leading to difficulties gaining or losing weight.
Things I did to improve gut health/intestinal permeability:
Seed cycling divides the female menstrual cycle into two parts:
The Benefits of Seed Cycling: Support hormonal balance, alleviate PMS symptoms, decrease hormonal acne, alter irregularity of menstrual cycles, and fight stomach bloating and fatigue.
submitted by Plane-Ice-1828 to vindictapoc [link] [comments]
I'm in my early 30s, I have 3B hair, tall, two years ago I was obese, prediabetic, I had anxiety problems, now I'm just a tall [seemingly ;) ] effortlessly pretty black girl and I want all my beauties on here to have my beauty secrets.
Topics discussed:
- Haircare
- Style
- Makeup
- Teeth
- Skincare
- Weight loss vs Fat loss
- Healthy Fat loss
- Body Recomposition
- Inflammation
- Gut Health
- How to lower androgen/testosterone levels
- Nervous System Regulation/Stress Management
- Tea Cycling
- Seed Cycling
Hair
I have PCOS so it affects my hair growth and causes hirsutism, basically male patterened facial hair and male patterned baldness.Hair Growth: Here is the true secret sauce to hair growth, stimulating your scalp. I do daily scalp massages with a bamboo brush (even the bristles are made of rounded bamboo) very gentle. This is the one I use: Golab Beauty I do short strokes which prevents any tangles. Morning and Night. I then go in with a scalp serum, I use The Oui scalp serum but it costs a pretty penny. In the first yearish I used (The 'Ordinary' Haircare Growth Set Multi-Peptide Serum For Hair Density) which worked wonders and was cost effective. At nights I seal with any scalp oil that has rosemary oil. Sadly Mielle's formula no longer works for me, but As I Am rosemary oil has been working, I also like the Camille Rose Rosemary Oil Strengthening Hair and Scalp Drops. For Washing my hair I suffer from sebaceous dermatitis which causes scaliness. Paradoxically my scalp is so oily which is what triggers the ezcema and develops the dry patches. Reversing my PCOS symptoms fixed this but what also helped was the Nizoral shampoo with 1% Ketoconazole. It's harsh so I do it once to twice a month at most and I always follow up with a moisturizing shampoo, and of course finish with a wash out conditioner & leave in conditioner.
Hair Retention: This is the info we all know about preventing breakage but I'll include just in case. Hair growth happens in the scalp like said before but to retain that growth it's important to wear protective hairstyles (especially while asleep), a silk/satin bonnet or wrap, silk/satin pillowcase, do not let your hair air dry at night. There is debate about this but I've seen hair specialists and scientists say our hair is especially fragile when wet (especially curly/kinky hair). Therefore, we are much more prone to snags and breakage while our hair is wet. So going to bed make sure your hair is dried. If you're air drying your hair during the day try not to touch it too much - as little manipulation as possible. Personally choose to diffuse/blow dry my hair and this has prevented most of the breakage I was previously experiencing. Lastly, moisturize and oil your ends. I won't pretend like I know which order is best or even if it's important but I've found that using hair moisturizediluted leave in conditioner then hair oil works best for me.
Hirsutism/Facial Hair: Spearmint essential oil. I add 1-2 drops of the oil to my moisturizer each time I put on my moisturizer and it helped A LOT with reducing my facial hair. I also drink a lot of spearmint tea. Spearmint specifically has been proven to lower androgen/testosterone levels which is why it helps. I also took supplements which I'll include at the end because they served multiple purposes. Be sure not to add the oil to the entire bottle because that will ruin your moisturizer's formula. Just add the drops in your palm/finger tips and mix in your face cream each time you moisturize your jawline, chin, underneck. Also, do this after moisturizing the upper part of your face without the oil because it's harsh and the scent can be irritating to your eye area.
Body hair: Personally I sugar wax my arms and legs, the hair has grown back so thin now. I make it myself and follow tutorials from abetweene on youtube.
Hair colouHairstyle: This will depend on your face shape and color season. I'm a dark winter colour season and I have a heart face shape. I used the Dressika app to discover my color season before I could afford to get myself professionally assessed and I got the same results. Just be sure to use natural lighting, like by a window. Once you have your colour season you can choose hair colours that work best for you (although natural almost always works best). For my hairstyle I try to choose styles that compliment my heart shaped face. I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with figuring this out.
Style
I think most of us know about Kibbe and colour seasons. This was how I upgraded my wardrobe. I'm a soft dramatic so I wear things that work for my tall height and accentuate my waist.This was the game changer with colour seasons. Most of us know about our true seasons, but it can get restrictive. Sister seasons and colour dissonance is also helpful to know.
My colour season is dark winter, so my sister seasons would be dark autumn and true winter. Thid gives me more wiggle room to style myself.
Dissonance are colours that are outside your true season and your sister seasons, you sprinke this in to add interest. Think of an outfit that is extremely matchy and cohesive but has that one accessory or item that stands out and adds interest. It's really fun in art and in fashion.
For my shoes I've started wearing dancing heels which help my flat feet lol and look stylish. Heel insoles help too, as well as the product Shoe Gummi. I still can't last more than 2, 3 hours at most but it's definitely bearable compared to before.
Matching pajamas and loungewear. You just feel so luxurious dressing up at home and they can (should) be comfy :)
Accessories:
- I wear glasses that work with my heart shaped face.
- I have a neutral leaning warm undertone so I wear gold jewelry, if I wear pearls or other gem stones I mix in gold to provide more harmony with my skin.
- Perfume, wear what works with your body chemistry. Some smell delictable on people I know and icky on me, and vice versa. Wear what works for you.
- Nails, press ons. So convenient, so cheap.
- Hair accessories, bows, barretes, clips, scrunchies, a ribbon, you could be wearing jeans and a t shirt but a simple hair accessory upgrades the look automatically.
Makeup
I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with finding eye looks, brows, blush placement for my face shapeI have a low visual weight face and I am a romantic ingenue, because of this I go for more subtle looks that emphasis two facial features maximum at a time (eyes, lips, cheeks).
Don't get me wrong I love glam bold makeup but soft and subtle makes me glow, I turn heads when my makeup is done like this.
Teeth
- Wax free floss (Cocofloss $10 expensive but I love it 😅, Burst black floss, Moon graphite floss, Twice floss, Dr. Jen’s silk floss)
- Oil pulling (coconut oil with clove & tea tree oil, or Guru Nanda oil pulling product)
- Brush teeth
- Tongue scraper (not everyday, couple of times a week and not too hard)
- Alcohol free mouthwash (TheraBreath)
- More so related to my lip area but I try to use wrinkle preventing straws or when I do use regular straws, I place it on the side of my mouth. The reason this works is because puckering the lips excessively causes smokers lines/wrinkles around the mouth.
Skin
Skincare. This was something that took me a while to work on because of my PCOS, age, weight and etc.Facial Care: The basics includes chemical exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover. I cycle my nightly skincare routine with this in mind and always keep the same morning routine. Mornings look like this (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, vitamin c/peptide serum, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, finish with sunscreen).
My nights I alternate these routines in this order
Night 1 - Chemical Exfoliation (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, glycolic/lactic acid, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 2 - Retinol (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire face, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Repeat Night 1 - 3 (sometimes I need more days to recover if my skin is sensitive or acting up, do what works for you personally)
Other things that I've done/used to help: red light therapy (helps with both hair growth, so I use it on my scalp, and with stretch marks so I use it on my face and body), Microcurrent device (helps with collagen production and stretchmarks) - I use the brand NuFace & NuBody, Volufiline (a skin serum I mix with eye cream that helps with hollowness under the eyes, Kigelia Africana Skin Cream (I use the brand Maelys B-Perky which contains this ingredient and helped to tighten my chest area and my loose skin on the area), face yoga and myo fascia face massage, these help with the tautness of my face (basically everything else helps with wrinkles, these exercises and the microcurrent helps and prevents, sagging especially jowls). I follow tutorials I search for from youtube.
Body Care: Similar to facial care body care includes exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover
Night 1 - Physical Exfoliation (Dry brush/Body Scrub, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Night 2 - Retinol (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, retinol body wash, retinol body lotion)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Again, repeat Night 1 - 3 use more days for recovery if needed
Stretch marks/loose skin: Whether due to weight gain, pregnancy, etc. we can't ever truly get rid of loose skin or stretch marks but moisturizing the skin and derma rolling can help with the appearance. Especially derma rolling. Do NOT derma roll while pregnant but you can do so after when you’ve recovered and talk to your doctor (if you've had a c section you have to wait before derma rolling). I used this video as motivation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChG8aSvEU6A
For the body I never went beyond 1.5mm it worked for my deepest stretch marks. If this is too aggressive 1.0mm still works just as well. Make sure you use 70% alcohol as this is what experts say is better at disinfecting. It has more water, which helps it to dissolve more slowly, penetrate cells, and kill bacteria. The disinfecting power of rubbing alcohol drops at concentrations higher than 80%-85%. Make sure you disinfect the derma roller before and after use, and make sure you disinfect your area of contact before rolling as well. Do not do heavy workouts workout or sweat inducing activities for at least 3 days after and avoid harsh products.
I started derma rolling while working on losing weight (at the beginning of my journey while still obese) and continued a year after losing 130lbs. Derma rolling works by causing micro tears, the skin heals the area and in the process of doing so develops more collagen - leading to thicker skin, lighter stretch marks and tighter skin. Since I did this before losing the weight it helped my skin adapt a lot. I won't pretend like I have 0 loose skin or stretch marks but it's barely visible. Someone has to be intimately close to notice. Obviously genetics, how slowly you lose the weight, diet, and moisturizing the skin helps but my PCOS contributed to low collagen (thin skin) and so the derma rolling really helped.
Weight loss vs Fat loss
Tons of info here but I promise if you read through it helps to know this stuff.Weightloss comes down to calories in versus calories out. I know that's rudely simpliflied and not that easy, but it truly is the answer to weightloss (which may be fat, water, or muscle). This is why people can eat barely nothing, lose weight but their shape stays the same (basically skinny fat). It's also why fasting or going low carb works so fast (water weight is the first to go).
Fatloss on the other hand is more complicated. This involves our TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
TDEE includes: Resting/Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Metabolic Equivalent of Task or Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT), Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), and Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT).
BMR (~70% daily energy) the energy taken to exist, so tasks like breathing. Your sex, body composition (muscle to fat ratio), age, and genetics play a role in this EAT (~5% daily energy) the energy taken for exercise weight lifting, swimming, high intensity walks, etc. NEAT (~15% daily energy) the energy taken for non exercise movements like walking, fidgeting, showering, standing, etc TEF (~10% daily energy depending on the macronutrients of your meal) the energy taken to digest, protein has the highest TEF of all the macronutrients, Carbs have a TEF of around 5-10%, while Fats have the lowest TEF, around 0-3%.
Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT) is the changes in energy expenditure (energy used) that occur in response to changes in energy balance. For example when you eat more food than you need, your body may increase energy expenditure to prevent weight gain eg. move more, eat less the next day, etc.. On the other hand, when you eat less food than you need, your body may decrease energy expenditure to conserve energy and prevent weight loss eg. less movement, eat more the next day.
Other things that affect AT include diet composition (eg high/low protein, high/low carb, calorie dense foods, etc), physical activity (eg. weights vs. cardio), and environmental factors such as temperature and altitude.
Things that influence AT can make weight management challenging, as it can lead to plateaus or rebounds in weight loss efforts. This is why lack of sleep, hormonal issues, aging, etc. makes weightloss harder.
Here is a clearer example of this
Things that affect calories in:
- 8-9 Hours of sleep (Maintains metabolic homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, hormonal processes). Compromised sleep lead to:
- Increased Gherlin (hunger hormone - feeling hungrier & therefor eating more)
- Decreased Leptin (sensation of satiety - needing to eat more to feel full)
- Insulin resistance: This is when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don't respond well to insulin and can't easily take up glucose from your blood. This results in excessive sugar in the blood & as a result the body produces more insulin in order to try to help the cells obtain the energy from glucose. This leads to weight gain as the insulin increases hunger. Also, since the body is insulin resistant, the excess glucose is converted to fat for long-term storage.
- Things that can cause insulin resistance: PCOS, Inactivity/sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, hypertension, alcohol abuse, poor sleep habits, high cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, high bodyweight, acromegaly
- Body Composition (Fat to muscle ratio)
- Gut health
- Compromised sleep affects our energy levels which leads to
- Decreased NEAT (Non exercise activity thermogenesis)
- Hypothyroidism (lowered levels of T3 and T4)
- Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 affects every cell and all the organs in your body by regulating the rate at which your body uses calories/energy which is known as our bmr, meaning this affects your metabolic rate.
- Too few calories lowers daily NEAT
- By eating below your BMI (calories needed to perform basic biological processes), your body makes up for this through energy conservation by lowering your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis). Basically you lack the energy to perform your normal daily activities. This also affects your body composition and cardio health as you become sedentary (stop moving as much).
Healthy Fat loss
So to lose fat in a healthy way you need to:- Get enough sleep (8-9 hours per night)
- Manage your stress levels/nervous system regulation
- Look after your gut health
- Manage inflammation
- Increase your daily steps (8-10k per day)
- Weight lift
- Eat high protein (protein takes the most amount of energy to digest).
- Manage your insulin resistence
- Eat in a caloric deficit (make sure your calories in do not exceed calories out).
To manage your insulin resistance (info from the book Glucose Goddess by Jessie Inchauspé):
- Eat within an hour of waking up
- Protein with breakfast
- Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal (diluted in a glass of water)
- Eat foods in this order, veggies -> protein -> fat -> starches -> carbs -> sugar
- Never eat sweets/dessert/carbs on an empty stomach (dessert after dinner)
- Keep refined carbs and added sugar at a minimum.
- Minimize alcohol intake
- Try to minimize sodas, fruit juice and sweet drinks (this is because there is no fiber to help with the glucose spike or at least try to have these drinks after eating something fiberous)
- Only eat fruit whole, not transformed eg. eat the orange instead of having the orange juice, again fiber makes a world of a difference
- Put clothing on your carbs. Eg. have protein/fats/fiber with your carbs
- A short walk after carb heavy meals
- Fasting - this is controversial and I should add a disclaimer, if you in any way shape or form have or had an eating disorder, especially restrictive eating, I highly recommend against fasting. Intermittent fasting has a lot of studies out there that were done on men. The book Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz includes a nuanced view of fasting that takes into account our hormones and our monthly cycle. She also has a free app 'Fast like a girl', you log your period and it tells you how long to fast. However, bioindividuality is key here, genetics, etc. Please if you are considering fasting make sure you get bloodwork done first. Manage your electrolyte levels, do not neglect iron and protein levels. Personally, I prefer using the other methods since fasting can also inadvertently worsens insulin resistence due to increased stress/cortisol which cause higher hunger cues. Some with insulin resistence found fasting to be helpful. So make sure you do what works for you and always consult your doctor.
- Supplements:
- Vitamin D paired with Vitamin K1 & K2
- Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Turmeric
- Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
- N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
- Inositol
- Zinc (Important to Note: It works inversely with testosterone - raises testosterone if your levels are low and lowers it if your levels are high)
Eg. If it's calculated to be 2000 calories, you subtract 200, so 1800 should be your daily calorie intake. For the activity levels make sure you do not oversell yourself. Here is a general guide:
- Sedentary: Office job sat all day or less than 3000 steps per day
- Lightly Active: Exercise 1-3 times per week or 3-10k steps daily (up to 3-4 miles daily)
- Moderately Active: Exercise 3-5 times per week or 10-15k steps daily (up to 4-7 miles daily)
- Highly Active: Hard exercise 6-7 training days per week or 15-20k steps daily (up to 7-10 miles daily)
- Extremely Active: Intense daily exercise/hard physical labour 7 days a week or 25k+ steps daily (up to 10 miles daily)
Lastly, muscle mass (increase in muscle raises your metabolic level, meaning you burn more calories at rest). This is ideal and is also how you'll see someone who is short, seemingly small but weigh more than you imagined. Muscle density weighs more than fat. Think of a 50 pound dumbbell versus 50 pounds of feathers, you would need a whole lot of feathers to match the weight. Same difference, you need a larger volume of fat to equal to the same amount of muscle. Therefore, lifting weights is ideal because you will become more toned, burn more calories at rest, be able to eat more even when you've lost the weight to maintain your phisique, you'll be more insulin sensitive, and you will have stronger and higher bone density (really important for women, we lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade after the age of 30).
Body Recompositon: Weightlifting for health (and aesthetics), lose fat & gain muscle
It is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I followed Huskular Goddess and and LexiiGettingFit for inspiration and they were really the ones that opened my eyes to the concept of body recomposition (gain musle while losing fat).The benefits of this is as you're getting smaller your TDEE is increasing. This means by the time you lose the weight you'll still be eating an adequate amount. The other benefits include insulin sensitivity versus insulin resistence, higher metabolism, and a improved body composition like I mentioned before in the dummbell versus feather example. The downside is the number on the scale won't have a dramatic shift while your clothes will be fitting looser. Again, weight density plays tricks on us and it's easy to get caught up in body dismorphia but I promise it works.
In order to sustain and build muscle while losing fat, you need to be consuming enough protein while remaining in a caloric deficit. So 60-80g of protein per day minimum to lose 1-2lbs per week. Ideally it should be 0.8-1g of per pound of lean body mass. Eg, someone is 300lbs and they want to get down to 150lbs. They would eat 120-150g of protein per day. If this is too much, try to get at least 60-80g like I mentioned before. Remember even though 1-2lbs per week sounds small, the changes are significant because of the muscle gained. You will look and feel smaller.
Weightlifting for a rounder booty (I reshaped my glutes by weightlifting. Hormones can actually affect the shape and my PCOS did a number on me. I developed a V shape over the years. Round, square, heart, A shapes are all based on your bone structure and fat placement. Some of us just have those stubborn fat deposits in certain areas that are genetic, even when we lose the weight, it's a smaller version but the same shape. V shape on the other hand is largely seen in older women post menopause and in younger women with hormonal disorders. This is becuase the hormonal imbalances also causes muscle imbalances. Regulating your hormones helps but it won't grow the muscles for you, so I used Fit With Emely's glute guide based on your glute shape (completely free, I watched all her videos to get this info and it took me two years to go from a V shape to a round shape.
Here is the guideline for each shape:
Glute Maximus - Everyone should be working on glute maximus. It builds the shelf and overall size. Step ups (all variations), hip thrusts (all variations), lunges, rdl, leg press, all squat variations Glute Minimus - (V and Square shapes), this muscle fills in the middle between the top and lower glute. Hip abduction, single leg bridge, Standing hip abduction/cable raises Gute Medius - (Heart, Round, and A-shaped) this muscles builds a longer hip for top portion of the glutes. Eg. Single leg squat, Single leg deadlift, Cable clamshells, Reverse lung, step ups Underbutt - Everyone should be working on underbutt but this is especially useful for V shaped folks. It works the hamstrings and lower portion of glutes. Good mornings, single leg rdl (also works minimus), single leg hip thrust (also works maximus), hip abductors (also works minimus)
How to structure workout:
- Warm up/Dynamic Stretches (specific to the muscle group you're working eg. lower body warm up or upper body warm up, etc.)
- Compound exercises (2-3 exercises eg. single leg rdl, good mornings, leg press - for each exercise you do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, with 3-4 minute rest between sets). That probably sounds like a foreign language to some, so for instance:
- Start excercise 1
- Set 1 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
- 3 minute rest
- Set 2 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
- 3 minute rest
- Set 3 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
- Move on to exercise 2
- Set 1 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
- 3 minute rest
- Set 2 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
- 3 minute rest
- Set 3 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
- Move on to exercise 3
- Set 1 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
- 3 minute rest
- Set 2 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
- 3 minute rest
- Set 3 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
- Secondary Workouts (2-3 exercises eg. step ups, bulgarian split squats, lunges - for each exercise you do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, with 3-4 minute rest between sets)
- Isolated/Accessory Movements: these exercises work one part of the muscle more than others, for example an overbias on the underbutt/hamstring like I mentioned before to help with the V shape ( eg. hip abductors, kickbacks, glute bridge, lying leg raises, etc. (1-2 exercises high repetitions, low weight 2-3 sets, 15-20 reps, 1-2 minute rest between sets)
- Static stretch/cool down (specific to the muscle group you're working eg. lower body cool down or upper body cool down, etc.)
My full routine is:
- Monday- lower body
- Tuesday - Pilates/core
- Wednesday - Rest (I still go for walks on these days)
- Thursday - lower body
- Friday - Pilates/core
- Saturday - lower body
- Sunday - Rest (I still go for walks on these days)
For the ab separation from being obese, I did this workout 3 times a week (also helpful post pregnancy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smiGsW-mQX0
For my chest to help with getting perkier boobs (the derma rolling was what made the biggest difference, but this exercise helped as well though it took 6+ months for the changes to be significant. Women tend to take longer to grow chest muscles): https://youtu.be/hg7_R29jGIE?feature=shared
I also did workouts to help with my posture and mobility 3 times a week (any I could find online)
The last thing I will say is be mindful that you may gain weight initially when you start lifting weights. This is due to slight inflammation/water gain from foreign tension, which will last about a month or two before you adapt BUT your body will adapt, I promise. Keep in mind if it's days before your period or if you are on your period. It's not if, but when, our weight fluctuates. As long as you are in a deficit and doing everything right, the number will go down. Do not get discouraged!!!
Here is the edit to this post which includes my supplements, how I managed my inflammation, and how I improved my gut health. I also edited the information I shared prior to include a few more tips and lifestyle changes I made, and included a few more details. I also rearranged things so there is a separation between style/haiskin and health information. The post is getting really long so I may create a separate post for personal development/mindset tips.
Inflammation
In my case my inflammation was caused by my PCOS, insulin resistence and my obesity, but it can be caused by chronic stress, other autoimmune disorders like IBS, Crohn's disease, etc, smoking/alcohol, age related diseases, environmental toxins, diets high in processed foods, sugars, trans fats & high omega-6 fatty acids.In my case the inflammation from the PCOS led to gut inflammation due to the high levels of coritsal (stress hormones) in reaction to the high testosterone and insulin resistence. I also experienced metabolic inflammation (non alcoholic fatty liver disease), skin inflammation (as I mentioned earlier the ezcema on my scalp, alopecia, and hirsutism), adipose tissue inflammation, chronic low grade inflammation (this led to edema or fuid retention -> insulin resistance and my high testosteron/androgen levels also exacerbated this).
To fix this these were the thin I added to my life:
- Dry brushing 2-3 times a week
- Body Gua sha
- Face Gua Sha or Face Yoga or Myofascial Massage
- Jump Rope
- Trampoline/Rebounder
- Vibration Plate (very useful for after a workout or while sitting down)
- Acupressure mat
- Arvigo (Mayan Abdominal massage) & Lymphatic drainage massage
- Leg elevation, I sleep with a pillow under my knees. In the evenings I keep my legs up.
- Massages
- Sweat more (exercise/sauna/steam room)
- Portable Infrared Sauna (reduce cortisol by 25%)
- Microcurrent
- Compression socks
- Castor oil pack 3-4x per week
- Eliminate inflammatory triggers (mine were gluten & dairy)
- Switch to sourdough
- Eliminate seed oils
- Avoid alcohol & smoking
- Supplements
- Vitamin D paired with Vitamin K1 & K2
- Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Turmeric
- Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
- N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
- Teas that helped
- Turmeric
- Red Rasberru Leaf Tea
- Fennel
- Chamomile
Gut Health
Your microbiota needs the right bacteria in the right amount to perform its hormone regulating functions properly. When the type or number of bacteria gets disturbed by events such as stress, or poor diet, or your gut can no longer accomplish its job meaning you'll have inflammation, increased risk of chronic disease, skin conditions, mental health issues, weakened immune system, nutrient absorprion problems, and weight management challenges.For weight loss issues, gut microbiomes influence hormones in producing and signaling leptin and ghrelin (these hormones regulate hunger and fullness signals). Inflammation and insulin resistence is also associated with gut health problems as mentioned before. Energy extraction from foods, certain gut bacteria are more efficient at extracting energy from food, particularly carbohydrates. When there is an imbalance, more calories can be absorbed from food leading to difficulties gaining or losing weight.
Things I did to improve gut health/intestinal permeability:
- Ate foods rich in digestive enzymes (mangoes, pineapple, etc.)
- Pre and probiotics (incorporate bifidobacterium and lactobacillus)
- Favorite brand: Seed Heath Probiotics
- Pickles (without vinegar): Great source of prebiotics
- Apple Cider VinegaKimchi/Kombucha/Sauerkraut
- Beware of certain types of vinegar contain chemicals which kill bacteria, “the good bacteria”, and leave the yeast Candida albicans alone.
- Raw apple cider vinegar contains: Natural probiotics (friendly bacteria), which may help with your immune system and gut health.
- Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (diluted in a glass of water) before each meal
- Balsamic vinegar: Acetic acid is the active compound in balsamic vinegar. This acid contains strains of probiotics that aid digestion. The probiotics found in acetic acid can help promote good gut health and digestion while supporting overall immune function.
- Raw Carrots (has the type of fiber that binds and flushes out toxins in gut, good to have as daily hormone & digestion support)
- Limit Processed foods and Sugar
- No drinking or smoking
- Stress managment (which I'll expand on just below)
- Increase fiber intake
- Regularly exercise
- Supplements
- Ginger
- L-Glutamine
- Olive leaf extract (especially helpful if you have candida overgrowth)
- Turmereric
- Teas
- Ginger
- Lemon Balm
Lower androgens/testosterone
- Teas
- Nettle Tea
- Spearmint tea
- Spearmint oil topically for hirsutism
- Supplements
- Schisandra (adaptogen - stress management & hormone balance)
- Saffron (Also helps reduce testosterone, lower blood pressure and prevents bad cholesterol)
- Inositol
- Holy Basil
- Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
- Zinc (Important to Note: It works inversely with testosterone - raises testosterone if your levels are low and lowers it if your levels are high)
Nervous System Regulation/ Stress Management
Stress is one of the things that age us the most, and people with PCOS already have higher levels of cortisol so these are the things I do to manage my stress levels:- Regulate circadian rhythm, direct sunlight upon waking up. I use a sunrise alarm clock lamp for this
- Same bedtime everynight (pre midnight)
- Invert screen colors at bedtime (red filter on screens)
- Pillow under knees
- No loud alarms
- Magnesium biglycinate supplement before bed
- Regulate circadian rhythm, view the sunset before bed. I use a sunrise alarm clock lamp for this
- Spend a few minutes breathing through left nostril only
- Epsom salt foot soak
- Journal
- Get back to using my coloring books (I even invested in alcohol based markers it's so fun). Regulates me and gets me in touch with my inner child
- Time with friends, my puppy, and my family
- Supplements
- Holy Basil (adaptogen - stress management & hormonal balance)
- L-Theanine
- Magnesium biglycinate
- Teas
- Red raspberry leaf (adaptogen - stress management, also good for menstrual cramps)
- Reishi Mushroom
- Lemon Balm
- Night time mocktail (have after dinner and not on an empty stomach due to the sugar levels in the tart cherry)
- Teaspoon of tart cherry (high levels of melatonin)
- Magnesium biglycinate powder
- Probiotic soda (good for gut health)
Tea cycling
- On your period
- Nettle leaf: Increase iron levels
- Moringa: Increase iron levels
- Red Raspberry leaf: Helps with period cramps (best to drink throughout the month, especially at the end of the luteal phase
- Chamomile: Helps with wellness wind down routine when you're feeling extra tired
- Follicular phase
- Focus teas: Peppermint, Spearmint
- Adaptogens: Lion's mane, Adaptogen latte, and Chaga mushroom
- Detox: Dandelion Root
- Ovulation phase
- Detox: Dandelion root tea
- Bloating: turmeric tea latte/golden latte
- Estrogen dominance - symptoms (bad hormonal migraines, hot flashes, nausea): Schisandra berry, Lemon balm
- Luteal phase
- PMS symptoms: Raspberry leaf, Schisandra berry, Ginger root (powder or tea)
- Spearmint
- For reducing androgens & lowering hirsutism (facial hair)
- Cinnamon tea (improves insulin sensitivity)
- Chamomile tea (Adaptogen)
- Nettle Tea (reduce androgens)
- Red raspberry leaf (adaptogen/stress relief, also good for menstrual cramps)
- Schisandra (adaptogen/stress relief & hormone balance)
- Saffron (Also helps reduce testosterone, lower blood pressure and prevents bad cholesterol)
- Ginger (ginger offers anti-inflammatory, fertility and hormone-balancing benefits, aides digestion )
Seed Cycling
What is seed cycling? Seed cycling refers to the consumption of specific seeds at different times of the month in order to improve the production and levels of sex hormones, specifically estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.Seed cycling divides the female menstrual cycle into two parts:
- During the first half of the menstrual cycle, or days 1 through 14, seed cycling encourages daily consumption of flax and pumpkin seeds.
- During the second half of the menstrual cycle, or days 15 through 28, seed cycling encourages daily consumption of sunflower and sesame seeds
The Benefits of Seed Cycling: Support hormonal balance, alleviate PMS symptoms, decrease hormonal acne, alter irregularity of menstrual cycles, and fight stomach bloating and fatigue.
2024.05.10 23:48 UpdateUrDD93 VA and TRT
Hello all, I’ll keep this brief.
Had my first VA visit today and told my NP when I was active they had me on clomid and my T was around 220 prior and 1000ng/dl treated. NP said that’s entirely to high… issue comes up that I’ve gone 3rd party for 200mg injections weekly so I may or may not come out even higher now… anything weird going to come of this? It’s caused no ill effects to my life and blood pressure still comes in leagues better than the average E7 pounding BK daily at his desk.
Sorry for typos or anything phone hates Reddit and gets laggy
submitted by UpdateUrDD93 to Veterans [link] [comments]
Had my first VA visit today and told my NP when I was active they had me on clomid and my T was around 220 prior and 1000ng/dl treated. NP said that’s entirely to high… issue comes up that I’ve gone 3rd party for 200mg injections weekly so I may or may not come out even higher now… anything weird going to come of this? It’s caused no ill effects to my life and blood pressure still comes in leagues better than the average E7 pounding BK daily at his desk.
Sorry for typos or anything phone hates Reddit and gets laggy
2024.05.10 11:23 Living_Fox2465 First LGD Cycle, thoughts?
Im not brand new to sarms with 3 cycles under my belt. First one was mk677 alone for 2 months, last two have been 25mg mk677 + 25mg ostarine for 2 months and all have been very well tolerated with no noticeable negative side effects. Im looking for something a little stronger than ostarine now and a 2 month cycle of lgd with mk677 seems like a logical next step. Opinions on recommended dosages or if this is the wrong decision? Rad140 i also considered but honestly it seems way too suppressive for me to want to go through, I have 25 days of clomid treatment ready to go however. Let me know what you guys think.
submitted by Living_Fox2465 to lgd4033 [link] [comments]
2024.05.10 04:56 Automatic-Candle-650 On to CD1 again today 😣
 | This was my first cycle taking clomid. I’m pretty bummed that I didn’t get my BFP. I honestly don’t really want to take it again this new cycle if it’s not going to work. The side effects kind of messed me up this month. I am feeling so defeated. We’ve been off birth control for over a year, and nothing. All my tests are normal for my age.. it’s all just so frustrating. Sorry, I just needed to vent… 😔 submitted by Automatic-Candle-650 to TFABChartStalkers [link] [comments] |
2024.05.09 16:37 RandoAnon2217 Clomid side effects
Has anybody else had bad enough side effects to be told they need to stop taking clomid? I’m doing medicated and monitored cycles and currently taking 3 clomid pills and 4 letrozole pills. I started having flashing in my vision and told my dr about it. She told me to stop taking clomid and just take the letrozole.
I also need reassurance that pregnancy can still happen on just letrozole because at this point I don’t even know what else we can do before moving on to IVF. I’m trying to not be devastated but I doom-spiral very easily.
submitted by RandoAnon2217 to InfertilitySucks [link] [comments]
I also need reassurance that pregnancy can still happen on just letrozole because at this point I don’t even know what else we can do before moving on to IVF. I’m trying to not be devastated but I doom-spiral very easily.
2024.05.08 04:31 djentbsknd I’ve been getting ads for enclomiphene has anyone tried it? Or should I just try Clomid?
Background: In 2021 I decided to check my t levels out of pure curiosity. I was 22 (m) and they were at 369 ng/dl. Not great. I continued checking them because I was concerned and the story got worse:
3/21 369 12/21 209 12/23 231
Talked to a doc and he said I could do TRT but my wife and I are wanting more kids and I don’t like the idea of being dependent on something like that for life.
I work out regularly as a power lifter and take protein, creatinine, pre workout, and beat root powder off and on when I’m trying to gain. I’ve never taken any PEDs.
Fast forward to now. I still have all the usual symptoms of low T (minus me having decent muscle mass but I think that’s mostly genetic) and I see an ad for enclomiphene. Never heard of it and did a little googling. It sounds like exactly what I’ve been looking for but was wondering if any of you had tried it? It’s not FDA approved (sorry if that breaks the rules) but I guess it’s a component of “Clomid” which is approved but mostly used for fertility issues. Can confirm I don’t have those. Just T issues.
I’m going to talk to a telehealth doc tomorrow to see if I can maybe get a prescription because I’m trying to do this somewhat cost effective. The ad I saw was for Maximus and they seem really over priced. Their concoction is 5mg enclomiphene 5mg pregnenolone fwiw.
Any advice would be appreciated!
submitted by djentbsknd to Testosterone [link] [comments]
3/21 369 12/21 209 12/23 231
Talked to a doc and he said I could do TRT but my wife and I are wanting more kids and I don’t like the idea of being dependent on something like that for life.
I work out regularly as a power lifter and take protein, creatinine, pre workout, and beat root powder off and on when I’m trying to gain. I’ve never taken any PEDs.
Fast forward to now. I still have all the usual symptoms of low T (minus me having decent muscle mass but I think that’s mostly genetic) and I see an ad for enclomiphene. Never heard of it and did a little googling. It sounds like exactly what I’ve been looking for but was wondering if any of you had tried it? It’s not FDA approved (sorry if that breaks the rules) but I guess it’s a component of “Clomid” which is approved but mostly used for fertility issues. Can confirm I don’t have those. Just T issues.
I’m going to talk to a telehealth doc tomorrow to see if I can maybe get a prescription because I’m trying to do this somewhat cost effective. The ad I saw was for Maximus and they seem really over priced. Their concoction is 5mg enclomiphene 5mg pregnenolone fwiw.
Any advice would be appreciated!
2024.05.07 21:46 NoDuck6067 Switching to Clomid after Letrozole failure
Hey all!
Going to be starting Clomid 50mg x 5 days tonight and I’m a nervous wreck.
I started these because I do not ovulate/have a period on my own.
I tried 2.5 Letrozole - no ovulation
5mg Letrozole + trigger with two follicles - negative but first period in a year!
5mg Letrozole - no ovulation/no period
My RE is switching to Clomid 50mg for 5 days tonight. I’m nervous regarding side effects.
With letrozole I felt out of it, had numbness/neuropathic symptoms and was extremely depressed the third time I took it. I also have bloated/gained about 1-1.5 lbs since starting process which I am not happy about to be honest considering I am eating and working out exactly the same.
Any things I should be prepared for with clomid? I’m so scared to start it because I’ve heard horror stories and Letrozole is supposed to be ‘better’ for PCOS. 😭
Then I saw people saying they gained a ton of weight and that terrifies me at this point.
submitted by NoDuck6067 to tryingtoconceive [link] [comments]
Going to be starting Clomid 50mg x 5 days tonight and I’m a nervous wreck.
I started these because I do not ovulate/have a period on my own.
I tried 2.5 Letrozole - no ovulation
5mg Letrozole + trigger with two follicles - negative but first period in a year!
5mg Letrozole - no ovulation/no period
My RE is switching to Clomid 50mg for 5 days tonight. I’m nervous regarding side effects.
With letrozole I felt out of it, had numbness/neuropathic symptoms and was extremely depressed the third time I took it. I also have bloated/gained about 1-1.5 lbs since starting process which I am not happy about to be honest considering I am eating and working out exactly the same.
Any things I should be prepared for with clomid? I’m so scared to start it because I’ve heard horror stories and Letrozole is supposed to be ‘better’ for PCOS. 😭
Then I saw people saying they gained a ton of weight and that terrifies me at this point.
2024.05.07 20:57 NoDuck6067 Letrozole didn’t work - switching to Clomid
Hey all!
Going to be starting Clomid 50mg x 5 days tonight and I’m a nervous wreck.
I started these because I do not ovulate/have a period on my own.
I tried 2.5 Letrozole - no ovulation
5mg Letrozole + trigger with two follicles - negative but first period in a year!
5mg Letrozole - no ovulation/no period
My RE is switching to Clomid 50mg for 5 days tonight. I’m nervous regarding side effects.
With letrozole I felt out of it, had numbness/neuropathic symptoms and was extremely depressed the third time I took it. I also have bloated/gained about 1-1.5 lbs since starting process which I am not happy about to be honest considering I am eating and working out exactly the same.
Any things I should be prepared for with clomid? I’m so scared to start it because I’ve heard horror stories and Letrozole is supposed to be ‘better’ for PCOS. 😭
Then I saw people saying they gained a ton of weight and that terrifies me at this point.
submitted by NoDuck6067 to TTC_PCOS [link] [comments]
Going to be starting Clomid 50mg x 5 days tonight and I’m a nervous wreck.
I started these because I do not ovulate/have a period on my own.
I tried 2.5 Letrozole - no ovulation
5mg Letrozole + trigger with two follicles - negative but first period in a year!
5mg Letrozole - no ovulation/no period
My RE is switching to Clomid 50mg for 5 days tonight. I’m nervous regarding side effects.
With letrozole I felt out of it, had numbness/neuropathic symptoms and was extremely depressed the third time I took it. I also have bloated/gained about 1-1.5 lbs since starting process which I am not happy about to be honest considering I am eating and working out exactly the same.
Any things I should be prepared for with clomid? I’m so scared to start it because I’ve heard horror stories and Letrozole is supposed to be ‘better’ for PCOS. 😭
Then I saw people saying they gained a ton of weight and that terrifies me at this point.